In Alicante, a defendant accused of sexually assaulting an Irish student participating in the Erasmus program has rejected in court the allegation of rape. He asserts that the encounters were consensual and that there was no penetration, countering the victim’s initial statements. The student is set to testify next week from Ireland via videoconference, as today’s proceedings could not proceed due to technical issues.
The public prosecutor initially requests seven and a half years in prison for the defendant, citing sexual assault and drug trafficking charges. Authorities say they found a small marijuana plantation at his Alicante home when officers moved to arrest him.
The facts under trial are dated to about 3:30 p.m. on June 17, 2022. The defendant and the victim began communicating through Instagram and, according to the defendant’s account during the hearing, they spoke several times via the social network. On June 17 they reportedly arranged a meeting near the student’s residence. The defendant claims he went to the agreed location, visited a bar where the student drank water, and afterwards they rode a scooter together and then headed toward her home.
Touhings and touch
At the defendant’s home, he says he offered water, and they listened to music and talked for ten to fifteen minutes. He acknowledges that they began kissing and touching, insisting that all of it happened with consent and that it lasted only a brief time. He claims that he tried to remove her tights but she grew nervous, stood up, and said she needed to leave.
He denied pushing the student against the sofa or forcing her to have sex against her will, as she alleged. He reiterated in court that no clothes were removed by him at any point and that everything they did was consensual and brief. He also noted that he did not fully understand what she was saying in English, though he recalled hearing the word “end” and interpreted that as a request to continue until completion.
In reply to questions from the prosecutor, the defendant maintained that there was no struggle and that he did not shout or tell her explicitly that she did not want to have sex.
Marijuana
Separately, the defendant stated that he did not tell the arresting officers that the marijuana he cultivated was intended for sale, and he claimed the room housing 48 plants was closed, which his defense team says should lead to the nullification of evidence obtained during an initial search.
The arresting officers, however, testified that the door to the room was open and that they observed the plantation while the defendant was getting dressed. They denied conducting a formal search at the time, explaining that the search occurred the following day with the defendant’s authorization. They also stated that the defendant handed them a jar containing marijuana buds on the day of his arrest.
They further asserted that the accused cooperated with authorities and admitted that he sold marijuana to acquaintances to recover the money invested in the indoor cannabis cultivation operation.