Almost five years ago she reported her ex-husband for rape, but when the trial arrived this Wednesday, before the Second Section of the Provincial Court of Las Palmas, the victim tried not to testify against the accused, Jorge Manuel B.C. "He has been in prison and in the psychiatric hospital for a year, I think he has already served his sentence," the woman said, according to the newspaper La Provincia, referring to the time her ex-partner spent in pre-trial detention awaiting this trial.
However, when the magistrate presiding over the Chamber reminded her that she had an obligation to testify, as she was involved in the proceedings, the woman again recounted the same events that she reported at the time. "He tore my clothes, hit me on the thighs, scratched me and told me that I was going to be his slave," she recalled during the trial.
The events occurred on April 11, 2012, in Arrecife, when the woman had just dropped the children off at school. At that moment, her ex-husband showed up at her home, after telling her that he wanted to talk about their separation. "I arrived home thinking about fixing things, but he locked the door, approached me in a bad way and took me into the bedroom. He wanted to teach me a lesson, a punishment," the victim said. "I was only thinking about my children and being able to get out of there. That's why I didn't rebel much," she added.
"Impulsive, macho and resentful", according to the expert
During the trial, held in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the accused denied the events, for which the Prosecutor's Office is asking for 12 years in prison. However, Jorge Manuel B.C. only answered questions from his lawyer and refused to answer the Public Prosecutor, invoking his right not to testify.
For her part, as published by La Provincia, the forensic psychologist who testified as an expert described the accused as "impulsive, macho and resentful." As for the woman, she believes that her story is true because "she does not exaggerate or seem to make anything up" and there are no "desires for revenge" either. In fact, the victim even defined him as "a good father with his children", but "jealous and macho with her".
The trial was scheduled to be held in June 2016, but then the accused did not appear at the hearing and an arrest warrant had to be issued against him. Afterwards, a new date was set for this Wednesday, when it was finally adjourned for sentencing.
In addition to 12 years in prison, the Prosecutor's Office is asking for a restraining order to be imposed for 20 years and for him to pay his ex-wife compensation for damages of 10,000 euros. In the indictment, among other things, the Public Prosecutor's Office stated that the accused forced his ex-wife "to perform oral sex despite her refusal" and then "penetrated her vaginally without any type of protection while she was crying." As a result of this aggression, the woman suffered various injuries to her lower abdomen, buttocks and left thigh.