A 62-year-old man stands trial, facing a potential 12-year prison sentence over alleged murder linked to coercive and threatening conduct toward a minor, actions that reportedly culminated in the youth taking his own life. The events unfolded in Villarreal in 2016, as outlined in a report from the Provincial Office of the Chief Prosecutor.
The 17-year-old received more than a hundred messages from the defendant within seven hours, attempting to intimidate and frighten him. It is alleged that the man and the minor engaged in some form of online sexual contact, prompting the researcher to respond and warn: “I have the entire conversation on my phone and I will reveal it with your number,” “You’ll be glad when all this comes to light,” or “I will teach you not to bother those who care about it, not to waste their time.”
The boy apologized
The deceased minor repeatedly apologized to the accused but continued to receive threats such as: “I will sue you and you will have to confront your family,” “It will be over when it happens, watch the consequences,” and “What would you do if I blackmailed you now?”
In his criminal complaint, the prosecutor states that the adult, aware of the victim’s distress, persisted in texting even after the youth expressed his suffering. The attorney notes that the defendant knowingly accepted the possibility of self-harm by the young person and continued the messages. He allegedly said: “You put yourself in this trouble and you will pay for it,” and warned that if the youth took his own life, his parents would learn the words spoken by the lawyer in that moment, adding, “you are going to end up on a page.”
This ongoing harassment and sustained emotional blackmail are said to have driven the minor to take his life by jumping from a space inside his home’s interior courtyard on December 1, 2016.
Messages after his death
According to the prosecutor, even after the death, the defendant continued sending messages similar in tone to the earlier ones and even shared photos from the Castellón City Court that appeared to name and denounce him. Along with the 12-year prison term, the Prosecutor’s Office proposes compensation of 73,000 euros for each parent of the deceased and an additional 27,000 euros to the brother.
The hearing is planned to take place within six days following the fifteenth day from the document’s issuance.
Bullying and youth suicides: a global and regional concern
World Health Organization data, in collaboration with the United Nations, indicate that school bullying contributes to roughly 200,000 suicides annually among young people aged 14 to 28. Separately, the NGO Bullying Without Borders reports that up to 24 million children and adolescents in the European Union suffer harassment or mistreatment each year. Online sexual coercion and blackmail can spur anxiety, harassment, and depression, and the non-consensual sharing of intimate images or statements remains a crime that harms victims and communities alike [Source: World Health Organization; Bullying Without Borders].