The alleged rapist who was wanted will go to trial next Tuesday in Arrecife

His defense has reached an agreement with the Public Prosecutor's Office, so he is expected to confess and accept a sentence of 5 years in prison, compared to the 8 initially requested.

I.L.

Journalist

September 28 2022 (20:47 WEST)
Updated in September 29 2022 (06:50 WEST)
The First Section of the Court, in the Arrecife courtroom without the accused (PHOTOS: José Luis Carrasco)
The First Section of the Court, in the Arrecife courtroom without the accused (PHOTOS: José Luis Carrasco)

The man accused of raping a woman four years ago in Playa Blanca will finally be tried next Tuesday, after not having attended the first trial scheduled for last May. The hearing was to be held before the First Section of the Provincial Court, but had to be suspended because the accused did not appear.

His lawyer argued that he no longer resides in Lanzarote, but in the peninsula, and that he did not have money to face the payment of the trip, but the Chamber considered his arguments "unjustified", so it issued a search and capture order, agreeing that he be imprisoned as soon as he was located.

Now, a new date has been set, although the trial is not expected to take place, as an agreement has been reached. Based on that agreement, the accused agrees to confess the facts before the magistrates and to accept the sentence requested by the Public Prosecutor's Office.

Initially, the request was for 8 years in prison, but after the agreement it has been reduced to 5 years in prison. The Prosecutor's Office also asks that he be imposed the "prohibition of approaching less than 500 meters from the victim, her home, place of work and any other frequented by her, as well as the prohibition of communicating with her by any means or procedure for 10 years".

 

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, with her reaction faculties 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".

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