Walter Finch
AN Italian bar owner in Palma’s popular Paseo Marítimo has been handed a two-year suspended prison sentence after admitting to raping an drunk customer in his establishment’s bathroom.
In exchange for dodging jail, the bar owner has agreed to pay the victim €8,000 in compensation, with €6,000 already deposited as part of a plea deal that reduced his initial potential six-year prison sentence to two years suspended.
Under the terms of the agreement, the defendant must complete a sexual education program and will remain under supervised release for eight years.
He is also subject to a restraining order preventing any contact with the victim during this period.
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The court took into account two mitigating factors in its sentencing: undue delays in the legal process and the perpetrator’s efforts to make financial reparations to the victim.
The assault, which took place in the early hours of June 23, 2021, came to light after the victim reported the incident to the Policia Nacional, leading to the owner’s immediate arrest.
In a hearing at the Provincial Court this week, prosecutors detailed how the perpetrator followed the victim to the bathroom in the bustling waterfront bar, taking advantage of her impaired state to rape her.
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The suspended sentence is conditional on the perpetrator not committing any new offences within the next four years.
The Section One tribunal of the Provincial Court delivered the verdict immediately following the agreement.
The case highlights ongoing concerns about safety in Mallorca’s nightlife districts, particularly in areas popular with tourists and expats along the Paseo Marítimo, one of Palma’s main entertainment zones.
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