The man accused of raping a woman four years ago in Playa Blanca did not appear this Thursday at the trial that was to be held by the First Section of the Provincial Court, in which he faces a request for 8 years in prison by the Prosecutor's Office.
After being forced to suspend the hearing, the magistrates have ordered that the defendant be placed under search and arrest, and that he be imprisoned as soon as he is located.
The Courtroom, which had traveled from Gran Canaria to Lanzarote to hold the hearing, considers the arguments put forward by the defendant for not attending his own trial to be “unjustified”.
Specifically, he has claimed that he no longer resides in Lanzarote, but in the peninsula, and that he did not have money to face the trip to the island.
“He has been locatable”, “he contacted the official to give her his email and current address”, defended his lawyer, who had to try to justify the attitude of her client.
However, after also listening to the prosecutor and the lawyer for the private prosecution, the Court has decided to issue that search and arrest warrant, to guarantee that he responds to Justice for the crimes he is accused of.
He took advantage of the victim's "state of drowsiness"
According to the Prosecutor's Office's indictment, the events occurred on June 10, 2018, at approximately 6:40 a.m., when the defendant was in his car with the victim, who was asleep in the back of the vehicle.
“Upon observing that the victim was in a state of drowsiness due to the prior intake, that same morning, of alcoholic beverages, he stopped the vehicle and entered the back seat, where she was lying down,” the Public Prosecutor's Office points out.
Afterwards, he adds that “after verifying her state of lethargy, her reaction faculties being notably annulled”, he placed himself on top of her, took off her clothes and penetrated her vaginally, “stopping his action at the moment he realized that the victim was minimally regaining consciousness”.
