The law aims to give increased protection to victims of sexual protection after offender’s sentences reduced due to legal loophole
Spain has decided to review the new law which is aimed at giving more protection to the victims of sexual offences. According to a report by Euronews on Friday, November 18, this decision is being taken after recent court ruling have instead, led to the reduction of sentences of sex offenders’ due legislation loopholes.
The report states that the law, known as ´yes means yes´, came into effect last month, qualifies any nonconsensual sex as rape. It was imposed after a case known as the ‘Wolf Pack’, in which an 18-year-old was gang-raped by five men. The incident took place in Pamplona during a bull running festival. The report said the accused were given a much lesser sentence for their crimes. This caused demonstrations across the country, which then lead the Spain changing the criminal law on sexual offences.
Despite all this, the report said, lawyers of the convicts managed to find a loophole in the system which allowed for a reduction in their jail sentence, after the introduction of the new law.
According to the report, Spain’s General Council of the Judiciary had given a warning in this regard before, as when new criminal laws are imposed in the country, they initially apply more lenient sentences.
The report also adds, due to these loopholes in the legislation, a man from Madrid had his sentence reduced from eight years to six years, after being accused of abusing his 13-year-old stepdaughter. In another case from Barcelona, the report said, a 28-year-old man accused of raping a 60-year-old-woman has his sentence reduced from three years and ten months to a year lesser, due to the legal loophole.
