Tenerife Court Frees Three Sexual Assault Suspects
Three men held in jail in Tenerife on suspicion of sexual assault have been released after ten days, following court inquiries that could not confirm the accuser's testimony.
Three men held in jail in Tenerife on suspicion of sexual assault have been released. The decision, announced this weekend, was made by a court in Santa Cruz de Tenerife at the request of the public prosecutor. This happened just ten days after they were sent to prison last Carnival Sunday.
Their release follows a major development in the investigation. Sources close to the case say that court-ordered inquiries could not confirm the accuser's testimony. Also, the evidence gathered so far has not contradicted the men's statements, leading the judge to order their freedom.
The men, aged 30, 31, and 47, were arrested on Carnival Sunday. One of them works as a prison officer at a social reintegration center in Tenerife's capital. A prison officers' union, TAMPM, stated its confidence in the justice system and highlighted the importance of the presumption of innocence.
The complaint that led to their arrest described an incident at a home in the La Salud neighborhood of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The 48-year-old woman claimed she was sexually assaulted by the three men after meeting one of them on Carnival Saturday night. Her initial statement said two men held and undressed her, stopping her from calling for help or escaping, while the third sexually assaulted her despite her clear and repeated refusal. She stated she managed to escape the home with some of her clothes when the men weren't paying attention.
Passers-by found the woman in the street, and the local police in Santa Cruz de Tenerife then arrested the three men. The woman was taken to a medical center. The National Police's Family and Women Unit (UFAM) took over the investigation, carrying out various steps, but these could not confirm the woman's account of what happened. The home where the alleged incident took place was sealed for a forensic examination by the Scientific Police.
This development highlights the importance of the presumption of innocence, a basic principle of the Spanish legal system. It shows that in the early stages of a case, temporary measures like being held in jail can be changed as the investigation continues and new evidence comes to light.