The sexual assault trial that the Provincial Court had planned to hold this Tuesday in Arrecife has finally not been held. The accused, a 57-year-old man for whom the Prosecutor's Office is asking for 12 years in prison, has not appeared in court. For the moment, no search and capture order has been issued against him.
Lawyers, experts, the prosecutor and the victim herself have come to the Arrecife Courts this Tuesday for the hearing. However, when the time came to call J.M.B.C., he was not among those present. After a wait of about 20 minutes, it was finally decided to suspend the trial, which does not yet have a new date.
The events for which this man is accused date back to April 2012, when, according to the Prosecutor's Office's indictment, he waited for his ex-partner when she was taking their young son to school in Arrecife. Then, under the pretext of talking about their divorce, he took her to his home. There, he stripped her of her clothes, hit her on the thighs and buttocks, causing her various injuries and contusions, and sexually assaulted her, while she "cried" and he shouted phrases such as "you are going to be my slave," the prosecutor pointed out.
The following day, this man was given a restraining order against the victim. In its accusation, the Prosecutor's Office requested that, if found guilty, the prohibition to approach any place where she is or to communicate with the victim be maintained for 20 years. It also requested that he be ordered to pay compensation of 10,000 euros.
