The confessed attackers of several girls have escaped from prison and the judicial process has lasted an interminable decade; But Judge Ricardo Cuevas, of the Provincial Court of Murcia, had no problem this Wednesday in congratulating himself on the dubious way in which the biggest child prostitution scandal in the region’s memory ended: “We did a good job,” he said, without his voice trembling. It is difficult to find a single jurist or expert who shares this satisfaction. What happened for eight criminals to escape from prison?
In principle, the sentences handed down to the eight businessmen who abused minors began at four years in prison, but after reaching an agreement with the prosecution, they were reduced to around five and seven months for each crime, under the mitigating circumstance of excessive delay. “There was no reason to justify this trial taking so long,” are words that have been repeated over and over again in the corridors of the Provincial Court of Murcia. There are still 13 convicts and ten victims of the conspiracy. Along the way, one of the accused died, another became incapacitated and one of the victims went missing.
Undue delays are a type of mitigating circumstance that allows for a reduction in the sentence when the processing of a criminal procedure has lasted an excessive and unnecessary time, provided that this delay is not attributable to the prisoner and that the excessive duration of the procedure is not attributable to its complexity. Almost ten years have passed since the first arrests, in January 2015. “We need to increase the staff and set targets,” the Attorney General of the Region of Murcia, José Luis Manzanera, told elDiario.es.
Understaffing everywhere, at all levels. Courts need more judges, processors and managers
Manuel Lopez Bernal
— criminal lawyer
The average duration of proceedings before the Provincial Court of Murcia is 5.7 months, while the national average is 2.8 months, according to judicial sources. That is why it is common for proceedings in Murcia to end with an agreement on the mitigation of unjustified delays, these sources point out. “There is a lack of personnel everywhere, at all levels. The courts need more judges, processors and managers,” says Manuel López Bernal, a criminal lawyer.
Unjustified delay “very nuanced”
In this case of trafficking in minors, the excessive delay was described as “very nuanced” because it is considered that the course of the procedure suffered a significant paralysis. The sentences were thus reduced by one or two degrees: “For example, pimps face the highest sentences, ranging from five to seven and a half years in prison. The prosecution had initially requested a sentence of seven years. With the mitigating circumstance of a very qualified excessive delay, half of the lightest minimum sentence is applied, i.e. two years,” judicial sources specify.
The same applies to clients: the penalties envisaged for the request for prostitution services are light, ranging from one to five years. Initially, the prosecutor’s office had requested four years in prison for each minor. With the mitigating circumstance of a highly qualified unjustified delay, half of the minimum sentence is applied, which gives six months.”
Lost evidence and testimonies
“I have a client who has been trying to resolve her sexual abuse case for seven years. They have just scheduled the trial for 2026,” denounces Rebeca González, a criminal lawyer who works in the Murcia community. “The delay in the procedures is general, it is always there,” explains González. “The mitigation of unjustified delays is a widespread practice,” observes López Bernal. “It is very common to apply as highly qualified after seven or eight years of process,” he adds.
The lack of resources in the Murcian judicial system goes beyond waiting times: “There are no resources, you have to ask Madrid for everything. It took my client four days to do a DNA test, and by then, much of the genetic load had already been lost. Waiting times significantly erode the quality of the test,” he points out. “We often have to resort to agreements based on mitigating circumstances of excessive delay, because there is a risk that by the time the trial arrives, the evidence has disappeared,” explains the lawyer.
In this case of the child abuse network, in the time that has passed until the hearing, one of the accused has died, another has become incapacitated and one of the victims is untraceable: “If the trial had taken place, this testimony would have disappeared. The statement that the young woman made at the beginning of the process could have been read. But normally, without the presence of the victim, there is no conviction for this specific act,” explain judicial sources.
Indignation of the feminist movement
“It is extraordinarily unfair. The fines are quite ridiculous. And it is true that there is an unjustified delay, but the judicial system must understand that in an absolutely verified plot of corruption of minors, it is not possible that those who can go to prison get away with it,” says Gloria Alarcón, president of the Feminist Political Forum of the Region of Murcia.
The professor from the University of Murcia (UMU) also points out that the “revictimization” that women suffer during the judicial process is accentuated by this delay. “Ten years is too shocking for anyone’s life, and even more so for a 16-year-old girl who is now a 26-year-old woman whose life is made up.” “It seems that one of the victims is married and has children. So it is clear that this woman has no desire to relive her past. Perhaps even her husband does not know that she was a prostitute.
The justice system must understand that in an absolutely verified conspiracy to corrupt minors, it is not possible for those who can go to prison to get away with it.
Gloria Alarcón
— President of the Feminist Political Forum
The Feminist Assembly of the Region of Murcia and the Feminist Political Forum are preparing a rally for the end of this week to denounce the ridiculous sentences handed down in this case. “It is important that Murcian society is aware that there is still something to do,” believes the former vice-president of the Regional Assembly.
Pimps and collaborators in the plot
It remains to be seen what will happen to the pimps and collaborators in the plot. Whether or not they will be imprisoned will be determined in the hearings that will take place on October 7 and 8 at the Provincial Court. It will be taken into account whether during this decade they have reintegrated into society and whether the damage caused to the victims is considered to be ongoing. The Murcia Public Prosecutor’s Office will hold a meeting to decide its position on the matter, but this is not binding on the decision that the judge will make.
The underage prostitution offenders, who initially faced a seven-year prison sentence, were sentenced to two years in prison for each crime. Ruth Karina DT has accumulated 16 years in prison for eight counts of underage prostitution, but since none of the individual sentences exceed two years, she could avoid prison.
For their part, of the six years that were requested from the collaborators of the plot, such as the taxi drivers who transported the minors, sentences of one year and three months or two years were imposed on them for each crime committed.
