This Alicante court sentenced a man to five years in prison after finding him guilty of sexually harassing the wife’s daughter, a girl under 14, over nearly six months. He was also fined a total of 3,600 euros for two other offenses involving exhibitionism and showing pornographic material to minors. In addition, he was ordered to pay 10,000 euros in compensation to the victim and to refrain from approaching or contacting her for seven years, as specified in a Chapter Three ruling issued last June and announced by the Valencian Community High Court of Justice this Thursday.
The events cited by the trial took place inside family homes in Alicante between August 2018 and January 2019.
The defendant had a sustained relationship with the victim’s mother for two years. He knew that the girl had a medical condition and is reported to have said that if anything happened to her, he would take care of her. The ruling notes that the relationship was treated as if it were a father‑child bond, enabling him to exploit the trust placed in him to commit the abuses.
According to the decision, when the mother was at work and the child was alone at home, the defendant slept beside her naked, pressed his body against the girl’s back in a sexually charged manner, and she observed an erect penis and touching of her breasts during the incident.
Evidence also showed that the defendant entered the bathroom while his stepdaughter was taking a shower, pulled back the curtain, and viewed her nude. He also played a pornographic film in the presence of a minor and questioned her about masturbation, offering to teach her. During the proceedings, he allegedly asked several questions about the age at which she would like to have sexual relations, and the girl responded that she loved him and that her mother supposedly loved him as well.
The court noted that the conviction is not final as there remains a potential avenue for appeal before the High Court of Justice.