A man who exploited his role as a guardian and stepfather to control a young woman, effectively placing himself in a position of power over her. For nearly a decade, he exercised coercive control, dictating her clothing and personal boundaries within an environment described by authorities as deliberately intimidating and isolating, with the aim of ensuring she would not seek help. This is the account of a young woman born in 2004 who resides in Gijón and who compelled the High Court of Justice of Asturias to uphold a sentence totaling fourteen years and nine years of imprisonment. The defendant has been held in the Asturias Prison Center on charges related to sexual freedom and repression. The court also imposed ten years of supervised freedom, a ban on any contact with the victim for thirty years, and a monetary award of €110,000 for moral damages.
A man born in the Dominican Republic in 1985 engaged in a romantic relationship with a woman and her two daughters. The younger boy at the center of the case had moved to Spain from Colombia at the age of four, joining the household in Asturias. Soon after, the convicted man began showing a sexual interest in the boy. He initially used a ruse by covering the girl’s eyes with a handkerchief during a pretend game to induce the boy to touch and kiss him; this occurred between 2008 and 2011.
Over time, the trusted position he held in the family, and the proximity created by living in the same home, enabled him to initiate increasingly invasive acts while the mother was away. Between 2011 and 2013 he engaged in touching the girl two or three times a week, sometimes undressing to perform these acts and encouraging the girl to touch him in return. Despite the victim’s young age and clear aversion, he used manipulation and coercion to press her into complying with his demands, sometimes by leveraging the influence over her mother and disrupting any plan for her to seek help.
By 2013, judicial findings noted a marked escalation in the defendant’s sexual intent. The victim’s age was nine at that time, yet he continued to prevent her from escaping or seeking assistance, reportedly engaging in intercourse while the victim was restrained. These actions occurred two or three times weekly and included acts performed in settings outside the family home, in sessions described in closed hearings.
No contact with minors
From 2015 onward, the defendant intensified his control over the stepdaughter’s life, aiming to sever her social interactions, even with peers her own age. He persuaded the mother that further isolation was beneficial and exercised control over the girl’s clothing to exert continued access to her private life, including urging the wearing of shorter skirts for purposes described as facilitating ongoing access.
The abuse extended beyond the family home, with reports of assaults in other locations such as commercial venues and libraries where the stepdaughter happened to be present. The pattern persisted into 2017, and the situation only came to light when the minor sought help from her grandmother. Years after the events, a formal complaint allowed the offender to stand trial while ensuring the victim did not bear additional consequences.
Key points from the case include: the offender’s conviction and Dominican origin with residence in Asturias; the victim, a girl who arrived in Spain at the age of four to live with her mother and the partner, who endured long-term coercion and pressure to remain silent; and the sentence structure that includes fourteen years and nine months in prison, ten years of supervised release, and a ban on contact for thirty years, plus compensation totaling €110,000.
- Convicted individual: a Dominican national, born in 1985, who has lived in Asturias for several years and is currently incarcerated.
- Victim: a girl who arrived from Colombia at age four to reside with her mother and the partner; she faced persistent harassment and pressure to keep silent about the abuse.
- Sentence details: fourteen years and nine months in prison, ten years of supervised release, fifteen months of derestriction, and a restitution obligation of €110,000 to the victim.