The trial that has taken place this week in the Arrecife Courts is undoubtedly the most terrifying that has been remembered on the island. And it is that although in recent years murderers, homicides and all kinds of criminals have sat on the bench, facing a man capable of abusing 9-year-old children for years, as he himself confessed during the hearing, is almost unimaginable.
In this case, society is left with the peace of mind that the prosecutor has asked for 52 years in prison and that, even if the court later reduces that sentence somewhat, or the current laws mean that he only serves part of it, the margin is wide enough for him to spend at least two decades in prison. Without a doubt, much more than what is imposed on other people of this same ilk.
And it is that although in this process, the sum of a dozen crimes has allowed to raise the request for imprisonment, the truth is that the penalties provided for this type of aberrations are very far from what society demands and needs to protect itself from what can be authentic monsters.
In fact, the horror that those four children experienced, when they were only between 9 and 12 years old, could have been avoided if the laws worked differently. And not only in Spain, but even in other European countries. And it is incomprehensible that this individual, named Roland Figge and born in Germany, already had a criminal record in his country for crimes related to children. According to his record, for sexual abuse of minors. According to what he said during the trial, for having child pornography. But whatever the reason for which he was convicted, the truth is that he only had to pay a fine. And then, to go back to spreading his depravity around the world. His irrepressible instinct towards children, as he himself admitted during the trial.
And in Spain, things would not have been too different. Even for a crime of abuse of minors, as long as there is no penetration or specific aggravating factors, the maximum penalty ranges from one to three years in prison, and can even be resolved with a fine. That is to say that, in the best of cases, a couple of years in prison and out on the street. And in case of consummating the penetration, from 4 to 10 years. In short, a tiny amount of time considering the potential danger that these people pose to society.
Or is someone going to guarantee that when they leave they will no longer be pedophiles? That they will no longer cross the street with a child and look at him as only a monster can look at a creature. Indeed, they may be sick, but dangerous sick people. And the problem is that if a possible mental illness is taken into account, which in the case of Roland Figge was not proven during the trial, it still becomes a mitigating factor that can reduce the sentence, when what it should be is one more reason to lock them up, if not in a prison, at least in a psychiatric hospital for life.
But since this is not the case, at a minimum society needs to have them identified and know who someone is and what past they have who approaches their children, offering themselves as a babysitter, as a teacher or as a "spiritual guide".
At least, in the case of Figge, despite trying to avoid it by covering his face with his hands, everyone has been able to see his face. To see who is that "degenerate pedophile", as the prosecutor defined him, who has lived with us for years. Something that does not always happen with this type of crime, as some readers of La Voz de Lanzarote questioned this week. But that is not a decision of the media, but of the judicial and police authorities themselves, depending on each case.
Unfortunately, Roland Figge is not the only pedophile that exists in Lanzarote, and there are other convictions, for example, for having child pornography. Something that may seem minor compared to the consummation of sexual abuse, but that is certainly enough to turn on all the alerts.
In fact, surely all parents would like to see the faces of the people who live on the island and enjoy seeing photographs or videos of naked children or in attitudes of sexual content.
Without a doubt, it would help a lot to prevent events like this, which also show that it is necessary for families to be vigilant. It is not about living with the psychosis that something like this can happen, but with due attention to know their companies and detect any change in the attitude of children.
Unfortunately, this dramatic and terrifying story has shown that these things do not only happen in movies or on remote continents. But at least, in this case, there is the consolation that the accused will pay with the maximum penalty allowed by law. Although this, sometimes, is insufficient.
