If you violate her, you violate me! Spaniards have taken to the streets to protest the verdict of five men accused of raping an 18-year-old woman at the ‘Running of the Bulls’ in Pamplona.
According to Spanish Barrister and feminist, Leon Fernando Del Canto, sexual aggression or ‘rape’ is defined by Article 178 of the 1995 Spanish Penal Code as involving penetration but also “violence or intimidation”. Without the presence of physical violence or intent to cause harm (intimidation), sexual offences are often categorised as sexual assaults. This means that penetration of a victim when they’re intoxicated or unconscious will often be ruled as a sexual assault because violence or intimidation cannot be proven.
Last Thursday, tens of thousands of Spaniards took to the streets in outrage, calling for a new trial and updated definition of ‘rape’ after the acquittal of five men, among them a former police officer and former soldier, accused of raping an 18-year-old woman at the ‘Running of the Bulls’ in Pamplona in 2016. The men, who called themselves ‘the wolf pack’ (la manada) on a shared WhatsApp group, have been sentenced to nine years in jail for a lesser charge of sexual assault rather than the 22 years sought by the prosecution for rape or ‘sexual aggression’. They were also ordered to pay the victim 50,000 euros ($80,000 AUD) in damages.
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Del Canto Chambers is a leading London Barristers Chambers specialising in Law, Tax & Legal Advice. Our dual-qualified, multilingual lawyers specialise in international law and tax and have worked on over 500 cases globally.
