The Provincial Court in Palma has sentenced four men to a combined total of 138 years for the gang rape of a 15-year-old girl.
The case goes back to January 2016. The girl, who was under social services supervision, was with her boyfriend at a squat on the Llevant estate in Palma. They were having sexual relations when the four men and three minors forced their way into the room where the girl and her boyfriend were. All seven raped her.
Among evidence gathered by investigators was a message sent to her phone the following day: "Of the seven boys who penetrated you, which one did you like the most?"
The court considered that the version offered by the woman, which was given behind closed doors at the request of the Prosecutor's Office, was "consistent, credible and devoid of spurious motivations".
She told the court that she still takes antidepressants as a consequence of the rape. She is "worse now than eight years ago".
One of the four, J.J.A., was sentenced to 50 years for four crimes of sexual assault and one of promoting prostitution. There had been an attempt to sell the girl for prostitution for 1,000 euros. Two others were sentenced to 32 years and the fourth to 24 years. In addition, they will have to pay the woman 100,000 euros compensation. All four had denied sexual assault.
The sentences are open to appeal to the Balearic High Court.