The Second Section of the Provincial Court of Las Palmas will try an undocumented immigrant for an episode of systematic sexual violence in southern Gran Canaria. The Public Prosecutor's Office has requested a ten-year prison sentence for Bernardino, accused of subjecting his partner to a regime of domination and abuse in an apartment in San Bartolomé de Tirajana during the autumn of 2021.
The indictment details a pattern of objectification and absolute control. The events unfolded over a single week in September, when the defendant allegedly sexually assaulted the victim on two separate occasions using physical force. According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, the accused immobilized the woman by straddling him, pressing his knees against her arms and holding her by the neck to force sexual intercourse against her will. The violence left a trail of bruises and abrasions on the victim's neck and limbs, requiring medical attention after the assaults.
The history of abuse culminated in the early hours of September 21, 2021, with an incident of property damage. Following an argument, the accused snatched the victim's mobile phone and threw it out the window, where it hit the ground. This act of destruction, valued at 133 euros, is classified by the prosecutor as a minor offense of damage, which is added to the main charge of continuous sexual assault, aggravated by the relationship and the act of penetration.
The severity of the prosecution's request is not limited to imprisonment. The Public Prosecutor's Office is seeking a partial substitution of the sentence with expulsion from the country once two-thirds of the sentence has been served, with a ten-year ban on returning to Spain. Furthermore, they are requesting a restraining order prohibiting the defendant from approaching the victim within 500 meters for a period of 20 years, followed by eight years of supervised release after the defendant's release from prison.
This case, originating from the Court for Violence Against Women No. 1 in San Bartolomé de Tirajana, highlights the vulnerability of women in residential areas of the island's south under dynamics of male control. The Public Prosecutor's Office, in its conclusions, applies Organic Law 10/2022, considering it more beneficial to the defendant in determining the sentence, in a case that now awaits a trial date in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
