Spanish court sentences mother to 47 years for sexually exploiting young daughters

The court ruling and sentence structure

The Provincial Court of Almería sentenced a mother to 47 years in prison for sexually exploiting her two daughters and facilitating sexual assaults against them. The Third Section of the court determined that the offenses occurred on unspecified dates between 2021 and 2022. The victims were aged five and nine at the time of the acts, having been born in 2013 and 2017. Under Spanish criminal law, the maximum effective prison time the defendant can serve is capped at 20 years.

The total sentence comprises two distinct categories of offenses. Judges imposed nine years in prison for each of two counts of sexual exploitation, totaling 18 years, alongside two 30-month fines with a daily rate of six euros. The court also handed down 14 years and six months for each of two counts of continuous sexual assault, classifying the mother as a necessary cooperator for a combined 29 years. The ruling emphasized that the defendant exploited her position of maternal authority over two victims who were in a state of vulnerability due to their young age.

Timeline of the investigation and evidence

Judicial findings established that the mother arranged meetings between her daughters and unidentified men who performed sexual acts in exchange for cash. The proceedings detailed that the children were exposed to multiple encounters, including group meetings, with payments handed directly to the mother in blue banknotes. The case came to light in May 2023 after the romantic partner of the girls' father learned of the abuse and filed a formal complaint with authorities.

The judicial panel grounded its decision on a pre-constituted recorded testimony given by the older daughter, which the court evaluated as coherent, credible, and persistent. That statement was corroborated by clinical entries within a pediatric report evaluating both children. An additional psychological assessment performed by the Márgenes y Vínculos Foundation classified the victims' accounts as probably credible and documented symptoms consistent with sexual violence.

Protective measures and financial compensation

Alongside the custodial term, the court stripped the mother of her parental rights and barred her from approaching within 500 meters of her daughters or communicating with them for up to 20 years. Following the completion of her prison term, she will remain under supervised probation for a period of ten years. The sentence also imposes a 24-year professional disqualification from any occupation or activity that involves direct contact with minors.

The court ordered the defendant to pay 60,000 euros in compensation to each of the two daughters to cover moral damages, resulting in a total indemnity of 120,000 euros. The mother retains the right to lodge an appeal against the verdict before the High Court of Justice of Andalusia.

Acquittals and subsequent legal proceedings

The court acquitted the mother's partner of all charges following the trial. Judges determined that prosecutors failed to provide sufficient evidence demonstrating that the man participated in the exploitation or had direct knowledge of the transactions. Testimonial references attempting to link him to the abuse were deemed too abstract and generic to sustain a criminal conviction.

The defendant was also acquitted of two additional counts of sexual assault. In the same ruling, the court directed that previous testimony given by a witness be forwarded for investigation to determine whether discrepancies between the preliminary instruction phase and the oral trial constitute an offense against the administration of justice.