A case in Zaragoza, Spain, involves a man accused of arranging encounters with a sex worker in a field near the N-330, in the Valdespartera district, and culminating in a serious sexual assault. José Manuel Calvo Ropero faced a lengthy prison term, originally sentenced to 14 years for sexual assault and related injuries. Following changes under a reform law, his sentence was adjusted by the Third Circuit of the Zaragoza State Court, reducing the sentence by four years. The development reflects evolving interpretations of sexual offense penalties in light of new legislation.
The state agency explained that the Zaragoza resident, represented by lawyer José Luis Melguizo, initially received a lower-grade sentence of six to twelve years after weighing aggravating and mitigating factors. Ultimately, he was sentenced to nine years in prison. With the enactment of the Law on Comprehensive Assurance of Sexual Freedom, the lower-grade sentence moved from three and a half years to seven years minus one day, resulting in a formal adjustment to five years, three months, and one day in prison under the applicable guidelines. The provincial judges were reminded to apply the new framework consistently when determining penalties and related allocations of time served.
The incident occurred on August 11, 2021, at about 5:30 p.m. when Calvo Ropero was driving down Ramón y Cajal street in the Pignatelli district and stopped to offer sexual services. The two parties agreed on various conditions, including condom use, and the plan was for the victim to return to her home after the ride. During the journey, the attacker suggested anal sex without a condom, contrary to prior agreement.
The victim refused that sexual act and faced threats of violence. Allegations state that Calvo Ropero struck with considerable force, seized the victim by the neck with both hands, and caused a loss of consciousness while continuing the assault with his fists, resulting in a head injury. The attack also caused injuries to the victim’s intimate areas, necessitating hospitalization at the Mother and Child Hospital in Zaragoza. Multiple surgeries were performed, and heavy blood loss required a transfusion. The victim survived thanks to her quick call to emergency services, which she placed using her mobile phone before it could be taken from her.
The defendant initially faced a 27-year term, but prosecutors and his defense counsel agreed to reduce the sentence to 14 years. In addition to the prison term, Calvo Ropero was ordered to pay 33,176 euros in damages, with considerations given to the alleged mental illness at the time of the events.
Another sentence reduction
A prior case in Aragon marks the first reduction of a sex offender’s sentence under these changing rules, coming after a period of renewed scrutiny. In that instance, during the trial the accused acknowledged fault and displayed a lack of remorse for the original findings, which influenced the outcome.
Marlon Joel Ponce, age 27, is serving a sentence of ten and a half years for offenses dating to the summer of 2019. The head of the Third Division of the Zaragoza Court approved a modification, reducing the verdict to nine years and nine months of imprisonment.
The adjustments have stirred discussion among peace judges about how the Law on the Comprehensive Guarantee of Sexual Freedom should be applied, particularly with respect to how finalized decisions are examined under the new regime. Critics note that the new framework introduces different penalty bands and alters the minimum and maximum ranges in various rules, affecting sentencing structures across cases.
Observers emphasize that in the Marlon Joel Ponce case, the crime occurred prior to the law’s amendment and could have carried a different penalty under older regulations. The court noted that the victim’s suffering and the ongoing impact over time weighed into the sentencing posture at that time, suggesting that under later rules the outcome might have differed had the facts been judged under the updated standards.