A woman who suffered a sexual assault in October 2018 in the Mallorcan municipality of Alaró has stated this Tuesday in the trial that the defendant intercepted her when she was walking alone at dawn, led her to an unlit alley, and, using force, raped her.
The oral hearing has been held in the First Section of the Provincial Court of Baleares, where the man accused of these events is being tried. The Public Prosecutor’s Office maintains its request for eight years in prison for an alleged crime of sexual assault.
In addition, the Public Prosecutor’s Office is seeking that the accused be ordered to pay compensation of 25,000 euros in favor of the victim. The defense lawyer has informed the court that the defendant has already paid 10,000 euros in compensation for civil liability.
The woman, who appeared assisted by an Italian interpreter, explained that the events occurred in the early hours of October 28, 2018, when she was returning to her home after having had something to drink with some friends in a bar in Alaró.
According to her account, the accused, whom she did not know beforehand, approached her in the street. He asked her her name and where she was from, and she thought he was "a little confused" because he kept repeating the word "bar".
"I thought he wanted to ask me for directions to get to the bar. Then I understood that he wanted to take me to a bar, because he grabbed my arm and kissed me. I told him no, but he grabbed me forcefully and took me toward the bar," she stated before the court.
The victim believed that she might be safe in the premises, but the man continued walking and led her to a street "empty, without light and with cars parked on both sides". There, according to her testimony, he pushed her against the rear of a vehicle, grabbed her by the neck, stripped her, and raped her using force.
At one point she managed to break free and tried to return home, but the accused went after her. "He started talking to me as if nothing had happened. But I was in a state of shock, I didn't know what to say and I stayed silent. I only understood two words in Spanish, futbolero and Alaró," she recounted.
The man tried to kiss her again, which she refused. She waited for him to leave so she could get to her home and, once inside, sent a message to a friend to tell him what she had just experienced.
Her version matches the account collected by the Prosecutor's Office in the indictment, where it is detailed that the defendant offered to accompany her when she was heading home alone and, during the journey, dragged her between two cars, holding her by the neck, and raped her. In a moment of carelessness by the man, the woman managed to escape, although he followed her to the doorway and insisted on kissing her.
Complaint, recognition and consequences
The next day, the victim filed a complaint with the Guardia Civil and went to a health center to undergo the relevant tests. As the investigation progressed, she identified the accused among the suspects pointed out by the officers, whom she had seen "face to face" during the assault.
She has explained that, although her initial intention was to return to Italy immediately after what happened, she chose to remain in Mallorca to continue caring for the woman for whom she worked, who was about to give birth. "I didn't want to leave her alone. I didn't want to go home with a defeat either. I didn't want him to win," she has said, although she eventually returned to her country three months earlier than expected in her contract.
The woman has described the "panic" she has suffered in the years since, avoiding going home alone or walking down the street without the company, even if only by phone, of someone she trusts.
"I never thought the time would come when I would have to appear before a judge to relive what happened," she has stated. She added that, in order to recall the facts before the court, she has needed psychological support. "I had buried it underground, but when I read all the documentation I had a panic attack and I understood that I couldn't get here without speaking to someone first," she concluded.
((There will be an update))