Costa News Spain Breaking News | English News in Spain.
Two British men have been cleared of raping a British female in a hotel in Benidorm, Spain on November 20, 2023.
The Alicante Provincial Court tried the duo on Monday. Their ages were not disclosed.
You can also find out more about the following: Informacion A newspaper reported their release after their acquittal Tuesday.
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Although the Prosecutor can appeal to the Valencian Superior Court, there have been no signs of their plans.
A private prosecution on behalf of the accused was not brought.
The men languished in prison since their arrest 20 months ago despite being offered bail of €5,000 each.
They said that they couldn’t afford to live in Spain because of the long process of the Spanish legal system.
They were placed in custody until trial because their passports had been taken.
Alicante’s ruling stated that there was no proof that the sexual relations between the two men and the woman were not consensual.
No evidence was found that she was abused or that alcohol or other substances had impaired her cognitive abilities.
Informacion Observed that the court commented on the fact that the statements made by the two men were completely consistent.
Both men and women said that sexual activity was completely consensual, that the woman actively took part in it and that no substance was given to her to subdue or control her will.
Alicante’s bench said the female’s statements and accusations couldn’t be verified.
She cited statements made by hotel staff and police officers that she did not suffer from any mental impairment, which was confirmed by her medical reports.
She was seen leaving the hotel with brother with no obvious physical problems.
They also said that video recordings showed the defendants and her arriving together at the hotel.
The images are in direct contradiction to what she claimed and the ruling says that she informed her parents of the alleged sexual abuse as soon as she departed the hotel.
The brother who waited at the hotel for her was the first person to hear her allegations.
The ruling said: “While they were together, the receptionist heard an argument and she was sobbing. It cannot be ruled that her brother reprimanded her for reasons which have not been revealed, since both of them refused to testify in court.”
At the trial, a recorded video of an earlier Benidorm case was played.
The Prosecutor’s office pointed out that during Monday’s hearing, she was not interested to receive financial compensation from the males.
In a sentence that was scathing, the court said: “What we conclude is that she doesn’t seem to be interested in this trial. Not that she wants to gain financial gain.”
