Tenerife Court Acquits Man Accused of Sexual Abuse Due to Lack of Evidence

The Provincial Court of Santa Cruz de Tenerife has acquitted a man accused of sexually abusing a family member. The court rejected the arguments of both the public prosecutor and the private prosecution, who had requested a 12-year prison sentence and 10,000 euros in compensation.

The ruling highlights the difficulty of cases that rely primarily on a victim's testimony. In this instance, the judges concluded that the account provided by the complainant—who was 15 at the time of the alleged incidents—was not strong enough to overcome the defendant's presumption of innocence. Because the stories told by the defendant and the complainant were completely contradictory, the court could not reach the level of legal certainty required for a conviction.

The case began in August 2018, when the young woman’s brother filed a complaint with the National Police in Puerto de la Cruz. During the trial, the defendant argued that his health—specifically a degenerative condition and recent hip surgery—had severely limited his mobility at the time. He also suggested the accusation may have been motivated by family tensions, such as the confiscation of a mobile phone or the teenager's desire to move out.

The court also considered testimony from other family members. The complainant’s siblings did not support the prosecution's claims; one sibling confirmed the father’s physical limitations and stated they had not noticed any unusual behavior in the home.

While psychological reports confirmed that the young woman suffered from trauma, experts could not definitively link her emotional state to the alleged events, noting that other life circumstances could be responsible. This ruling underscores the challenges courts face when a prosecution relies solely on a victim's statement, particularly when there is a history of family conflict. In such cases, judges must exercise extreme caution when assessing the consistency and credibility of the accusations.