The teenage victim of an alleged sexual abuse by six men in north-east Spain has spoken of how she felt intimidated during the attack, as she gave tearful testimony in court in Barcelona. The six men are accused of sexually abusing the girl during a party in an abandoned factory in Manresa in October , when she was A seventh man who allegedly masturbated while watching is accused of failing to help her.
The six men, who face up to 12 years in prison if found guilty, were not charged with rape because, according to the prosecution , the victim did not resist. They were initially found guilty of the lesser offence of sexual abuse, sparking nationwide protests, but last month the supreme court ruled they had committed rape and increased their sentences from nine to 15 years.
The girl in the Manresa case, now 17, gave testimony from behind a screen on Monday so she did not have to face the accused. She said one of the accused was a friend with whom she had had sexual relations a week earlier. He is accused of leading her to a shack where he allegedly sexually abused her and then invited his friends to do likewise, telling them they each had 15 minutes. The girl told the court she had smoked cannabis on the night and had been drinking, but that she believed her drink had been spiked.
She told the court she thought she had been raped by four men but the following day a friend had told her there were six. She was able to name all seven accused and knew their nicknames. The girl, who cried throughout her testimony, said the first assault took place in a bathroom. She said she only remembered flashes of the alleged assault. The day after she went to a doctor to get a prescription for the morning-after pill. Up to a dozen people who were at the party are due to testify.
One girl told the court that when she entered the shack the accused were standing around with their trousers off. The accused have all denied having sexual relations with the victim, although sperm from one of them was found on her clothing. Topics Spain. Europe news. Reuse this content. Most popular.
