The Second Section of the Provincial Court of Las Palmas has convicted a primary school teacher of three continuous offences of sexual abuse against three minor students over several school years in Lanzarote. The ruling, delivered on June 16, confirms that the teacher exploited his position of authority to repeatedly perform sexual acts on the minors when they were between nine and eleven years old.
The incidents occurred between 2015 and 2019, while the convicted individual worked at the school from 2013 to 2021. According to the court’s findings, the abusive behaviour took place both in the school environment and during activities and trips organised by the educational institution.
The court concluded that the accused had engaged in various inappropriate touching and other sexual behaviours that were repeated over several academic years.
The court based its conviction on the statements of the victims, which it found to be consistent, persistent, and credible. The judges also highlighted that these testimonies were corroborated by former classmates who testified during the trial about similar situations observed at that time.
The Court Rejects the Accused’s Version
The ruling states that the minors did not initially identify the behaviours as abusive due to their age at the time of the incidents and their trust in the teacher. However, after assessing the entirety of the evidence presented, the court concluded that the acts had a clear sexual nature and rejected the version provided by the accused, who denied the allegations throughout the proceedings.
The judges maintained that the statements of the three complainants were persistent, coherent, and compatible with one another. Additionally, the ruling noted that their testimonies were corroborated by former classmates who testified during the trial, recounting similar behaviours observed during that school period.
The court found it particularly significant that several witnesses described differentiated treatment towards certain students and behaviours that matched the reported incidents. According to the ruling, these statements reinforced the credibility of the victims and corroborated essential aspects of their accounts.
Twelve Years in Prison
The ruling also examined psychological reports conducted on the complainants. The specialists involved noted indicators consistent with emotional distress resulting from the reported incidents and concluded that the examined accounts were credible. Among the consequences outlined in the ruling were symptoms of anxiety and depression, alongside issues of low self-esteem and mistrust.
For each of the three continuous offences of sexual abuse, the Provincial Court sentenced the defendant to four years and one day in prison, resulting in a total of twelve years and three days. Additionally, he has been sentenced to nine years of absolute disqualification for each offence, as it was determined that he exploited his role as a public servant and teacher to commit the acts.
The ruling further establishes a prohibition on approaching the victims or communicating with them by any means for a period of seven years. A measure of supervised release for five years is also included after serving the prison sentence.
Furthermore, the ruling imposes disqualification from any profession or trade, paid or unpaid, that involves regular and direct contact with minors. It also sets a compensation of 2,000 euros for each of the three victims for the moral damages suffered.
The ruling is not final and can be appealed to the Civil and Criminal Chamber of the Superior Court of Justice of the Canary Islands.
