A 28-year-old individual from Alicante was sentenced to two and a half years in prison after being found guilty of repeatedly abusing his seven-year-old cousin. The crimes occurred while the family stayed at their grandparents’ home in Pego, with the misconduct taking place during the summer of 2013 and again over the Christmas holidays. Alongside the prison term, the court ordered a compensation payment of 20,000 euros and imposed five years of probation. The offender was also required to maintain contact with his cousin for seven years and six months following the ruling, a provision the court described as part of the restorative approach to the case.
trust relationship
The proven events unfolded in the victim’s grandparents’ residence. At the time, the accused was 19 and held a position of trust and influence over his seven-year-old cousin. The court found that this trust dynamic was exploited to commit sexual offenses and to pressure the girl to remain silent about what happened, shaping the gravity of the crime within a family setting.
The abuse began in the summer of 2013 and recurred during the Christmas period. The girl told her parents about the misconduct when she learned the defendant would return to the grandfather’s house in July 2014. She appeared distressed and cried, fearing another coercive request from the defendant and the harm it might cause. The impact of the events on her life intensified as she communicated her fears to her caregivers.
Since the revelation, the girl has not seen the accused. She is currently undergoing psychotherapy, with clinical notes indicating post-traumatic stress disorder and an adjustment disorder presenting a depressive mood. The legal process highlighted the seriousness of the abuse and the long-term effects on the victim’s well-being.
Compensation
The parents initiated legal proceedings in 2018. During pretrial stages, the defendant was ordered to compensate the minor with 20,000 euros for nonpecuniary damages and the related consequences to the youngest. The court accepted the minor’s account as reliable, detailed, consistent, and without substantial gaps, treating her testimony as credible evidence and a central pillar of the judgment. This decision reflects the court’s emphasis on safeguarding the victim’s dignity and acknowledging the harms suffered within a family context. Attribution: Court records of the First Circuit, Alicante, regarding the case documentation provided to the court [Citation: Court records of the First Circuit, Alicante].