Six-Year Prison Sentence for Waiter Who Raped Customer in a Bar in Vega Baja Shopping Centre

The Civil and Criminal Chamber of the Valencian Community's High Court of Justice (TSJCV) has upheld the six-year prison sentence imposed on a waiter for raping a customer in a bar in the Alicante region of Vega Baja.

The judges have thus dismissed the appeal filed by the defence and fully ratified the sentence issued on December 12 by the Eleventh Section of the Alicante Court, based in the city of Elche.

The incident occurred on May 30, 2023, when the victim visited the establishment, located in a shopping centre, with her father and some friends. When everyone left, in the early hours, the defendant closed the premises and was left alone with the girl, who was under the influence of alcohol. Then, behind the bar, the waiter sexually assaulted the woman, who reported him hours later.

The sentence issued by the Alicante Court declared the man guilty of a crime of sexual assault with carnal access and sentenced him to six years in prison. The court also sentenced him to ten years of supervised release and the same period of restraining order and prohibition of communication with the victim, as well as to pay her compensation of 20,000 euros for moral damages.

The TSJCV confirmed this decision in a ruling issued on February 28, describing the Alicante Court's resolution as "entirely correct," both in terms of the evaluation of the evidence and the legal consequences derived from it. The Valencian High Court's ruling can be appealed in cassation before the Supreme Court.