Lleida is at the centre of a case in which Catalonia’s High Court of Justice has upheld a six-year prison sentence for the sexual assault of a young man near the Segre river canalisation in the early hours of 16 May 2024.
The court confirmed the ruling first handed down by the Lleida Provincial Court and rejected the defence appeal. It also kept in place a five-year supervised release order and the requirement to pay €10,000 in compensation to the victim.
According to the TSJC, the victim’s testimony was supported by other evidence. The court classified the events as a sexual assault because violence was used, and cited Supreme Court case law saying that the violence needed for a basic sexual assault charge does not require victim resistance and applies regardless of the severity of the injuries.
The victim told the court that he met the attacker at a pub on Carrer Panera. He said that once they were at the canalisation area, the attacker forced him to the ground, pinned him down, held his arms, and compelled him to perform oral sex.
The court also said the attacker then tried to penetrate him. The ruling brings the legal process to a close and confirms the original conviction.
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