A decade after La Manada: the gang rape that reshaped Spain's sexual consent laws
On the tenth anniversary of the Pamplona gang rape, the five convicts remain in prison while the case's legacy, mass protests, the 'solo sí es sí' law, and a redefinition of consent, endures.
The crime
In the early hours of 7 July 2016, during the San Fermín festival, five men aged between 26 and 29 raped an 18-year-old woman in a doorway in Pamplona. The group, who called themselves 'La Manada' (the pack), included a Guardia Civil officer and a soldier from the Military Emergencies Unit. Three had prior criminal records. They filmed the assault and shared the footage via WhatsApp. Police identified and arrested all five later that same day, and a judge ordered them into pre-trial detention.
The legal odyssey
What followed was a judicial process that drew nationwide outrage. In April 2018, the Audiencia de Navarra convicted the men of 'sexual abuse with abuse of superiority', not rape, and sentenced them to nine years. The court then released them on provisional liberty in June 2018, citing time already served and low flight risk. The Navarra High Court upheld the nine-year term in December 2018 but refused to return them to prison. Public anger boiled over, and on 21 June 2019 the Supreme Court overturned the lower rulings, convicting all five of rape with the aggravating factor of degrading treatment and imposing 15-year sentences. They were re-arrested the same day and sent to separate prisons.
- Five men arrested in Pamplona after gang rape.
- Released on provisional liberty after 9-year sexual abuse sentence.
- Navarra High Court upholds 9-year term, denies re-imprisonment.
- Supreme Court convicts all five of rape, sentences them to 15 years; they are re-arrested.
- Tenth anniversary of the crime.
- Earliest possible release for Antonio Manuel Guerrero.
Where the convicts are now
A decade on, all five remain incarcerated. Antonio Manuel Guerrero, the former Guardia Civil, is serving a total of 23 years and one month after an additional conviction for distributing the rape video. Alfonso Jesús Cabezuelo, the ex-soldier, is serving 15 years and has received ordinary prison permits due to good behaviour. Ángel Boza, José Ángel Prenda and Jesús Escudero had their sentences reduced from 15 to 14 years under the very law the case inspired, the 'solo sí es sí' law. The earliest any of them could be released is around 2031.
- Antonio Manuel Guerrero
- 23.08 years
- Alfonso Jesús Cabezuelo
- 15 years
- Ángel Boza
- 14 years
- José Ángel Prenda
- 14 years
- Jesús Escudero
- 14 years
A society transformed
The victim later wrote that the worst part was not the assault itself but what came after. She faced invasive questions about why she did not scream or resist, her identity was leaked by a newspaper columnist, and a private detective's report on her post-assault behaviour was admitted as evidence. Judge Ricardo González described the rape as 'jolgorio y regocijo' (revelry and enjoyment). The backlash drove the victim to leave Spain. Yet her perseverance ignited a movement: millions took to the streets chanting 'Hermana, yo sí te creo' (Sister, I do believe you), and a historic feminist strike followed in 2018.
The law of 'only yes means yes'
The case directly led to the Ley de Garantía Integral de la Libertad Sexual, known as the 'solo sí es sí' law, which places consent at the centre of sexual relations. On the tenth anniversary, Equality Minister Ana Redondo stated:
Consent is the essential piece for understanding free and equal sexual relations.
The law also had the paradoxical effect of reducing the sentences of three of the rapists, a consequence that reignited debate over its drafting.
