Imogen Calderwood
IT’S shocking to hear that charges have been thrown out for nine of the 10 Catholic priests accused of sexually assaulting an altar boy in Granada.
But it’s even more shocking to hear that the reason for this miscarriage of justice is that the court decided that the crimes allegedly committed took place too long ago – as far back as 2004.
To set this against the background of justice finally being found in the UK after some 40 or 50 years in some sex abuse cases, makes the Spanish justice system seem trapped in the dark ages.
Is this because Spanish law is based on the Roman laws (quite apt in this case) whereas Britain’s is based on English Law which was made much later and while not perfect at least has abandoned the principle of “out of time to convict”? Strange if you think about it. Commit a crime, run away for X years and they can do nothing when you get back. Worse still in cases where the victim was a minor when the events took place and only after the passing of time feels he has the guts to come forward only to be told that his assailants can’t be convicted.