The Superior Court of Xustiza de Galicia (TSXG) has upheld the shocking 37.5-year prison sentence against a 65-year-old man from Lugo. He was convicted of continuous sexual assault against three minors, including two granddaughters of his partner. The heinous acts spanned a period of 16 years, between 2005 and 2021, when the girls were between 6 and 16 years old.
Abuse Under the Guise of Trust: A Nightmare in Their Own Home
During these periods, the victims repeatedly stayed at their grandmother’s house, where the convicted perpetrator also resided. The ruling states that the man, whom the children knew as “grandfather,” unscrupulously exploited his position of trust. Initially, he began with touches while they slept, but the assaults escalated. In some cases, he gave the girls pills to break their resistance before raping them. This disturbing behavior recurred periodically.
The perpetrator even went so far as to go to bed with the children under the pretext of watching movies. The court found that the girls received some form of compensation and were forced to keep it secret. The abuse only ended when the eldest victim, at the age of 16, found the courage to tell her mother, who immediately reported it.
Rejected Defense and Overwhelming Evidence
The accused attempted to defend himself during the trial, claiming that the girls had filed the complaint because he refused to buy one of them a mobile phone. He also claimed he was unable to have sexual relations due to an illness. His appeal, in which he alleged a “violation of his right to defense,” was rejected by the court. A urological examination presented during the trial refuted his claim.
Convincing Testimonies and Suspicious Camera Installations
The TSXG judges highlighted the extraordinarily convincing testimonies of the victims. They emphasized how the perpetrator had abused his role as a supposed provider and trusted person to commit the abominable acts. The testimonies of the mothers of the three victims were also considered in the judgment.
Particularly incriminating was the fact that the accused could not provide a plausible explanation for why he had installed cameras in the bathroom and the children’s room – a detail already emphasized in the initial ruling. The court that originally heard the case found the victims highly credible, as they consistently defended their versions. The fact that their statements were consistent but not identical, and contained minor differences, reinforced the court’s belief in the truth.
In addition to the 37.5-year prison sentence, the man was sentenced to 25 years of supervised release. Furthermore, he was stripped of parental custody, guardianship, and any caregiving authority. He must compensate two of the victims with 15,000 euros each and the third victim with 5,000 euros.
