Prosecutor seeks 29 years in prison for Ourense priest accused of abusing two minor nieces

The Public Prosecutor’s Office has requested 29 years in prison for a Catholic priest of the Diocese of Ourense, Spain, who is accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting his two nieces when they were minors. The prosecution seeks to hold him responsible for two continuing crimes of sexual assault with carnal access. The accused is the paternal uncle of both young women. These are the prosecution’s allegations and requests, and the trial has not yet taken place before the Provincial Court of Ourense.

According to the indictment, the prosecution contends that the accused used the trust the family had placed in him, along with his standing as a priest, to commit the abuses on a continuing basis. The prosecutor’s office argues that these circumstances, together with the victims’ young ages, gave him a position of moral and physical superiority and made the repeated acts easier to carry out.

For the first niece, the facts under investigation span June 2000 to December 2008, when she was approximately 8 to 17 years old. The prosecution states that the assaults began around the time of her First Communion and continued from the age of 12 to 17 in various places the accused could reach because of his family relationship or priesthood. The second niece’s period runs from 2004 to 2009, when she was between 8 and 13 years old, and the prosecution says similar attacks were repeated during that time. Among the locations listed were family homes, facilities connected to the religious sphere, and other places where, the prosecution says, the accused could create isolation or special trust with the minors. [Mark 9:42]

The prosecutor’s office has asked that the trial be held in camera to protect the privacy and dignity of the victims and their families. It argues that public proceedings could affect the young women’s testimony and cause further harm, and it notes that both injured parties have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder arising from the events reported.

On compensation, the prosecution seeks 15 years in prison and 150,000 euros for the facts relating to the first niece, and another 14 years and 110,000 euros for the offenses attributed to the second. The prosecution states that these amounts correspond to moral and psychological harm, sequelae, and personal damage resulting from the alleged attacks. It also asks for absolute disqualification for the duration of any sentence and names the Diocese of Ourense as a civil subsidiary liable for payment of the compensation.

The prosecution further requests a prohibition on approaching the victims within 500 metres or communicating with them for 10 years, and special disqualification from any profession or activity involving contact with minors. It also asks that the defendant’s DNA be entered into the database of the State Security Forces and Corps.

Source: Read the original report (translated from Spanish)