Charlie Smith
A COURT in Spain has prompted outrage after two men were cleared of rape and only charged with sexual abuse.
The court in Lleida, north-eastern Spain jailed a nephew and uncle for four and a half years after they plied a woman with drugs and drink before having sex with her.
Their sentencing has re-opened a national conversation about rape law in Spain after the infamous ‘Wolfpack’ sex attack gang were cleared of raping a young woman at the San Fermin ‘running of the bulls’ festival in Pamplona.
In this latest sexual attack the uncle and nephew were only cleared of the more serious offence of sexual assault – Spain’s equivalent to rape – because they did not use intimidation or violence.
The pair forced a girl into sex and a separate sexual act, who they had earlier met at a bar and taken to a nightclub.
The ruling said the men ‘took advantage of her vulnerable nature, which, added to her consumption of alcohol and antidepressants, may have weakened her ability to defend herself, thus making the use of violent or intimidatory acts unnecessary.’
April and June of this year saw widespread protests over the ‘Wolfpack’ case, as the five attackers sentenced to nine years were released on bail.
This latest prompted similar outrage online, with one Twitter user, Anne Lauren writing, ‘rape is a violent act in itself, other acts of violence need not be included for this crime to be taken seriously.’
