Sentenced to 14 Years for Raping His Foster Niece in Santa Perpètua

The Barcelona Court has issued a ruling against the man who sexually abused his niece for five years. The ruling can still be appealed.

The Barcelona Court has sentenced a man to 14 years in prison for continuously sexually assaulting his niece, a minor under the care of the General Directorate of Child and Adolescent Care (DGAIA) of the Government of Catalonia. Infobae reports the ruling, which places the events in a residence in Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, where the accused took guardianship of the teenager and her younger brother between 2016 and 2021.

The court considers him responsible for a continued crime of sexual assault against a minor under 16 with penetration. In addition to prison, he must compensate the victim with €25,000 and will not be allowed to communicate with her or approach her within 1,000 meters for two years following his release.

The ruling also imposes ten years of supervised release and ten years of special disqualification from exercising parental authority, guardianship, curatorship, custody, or fostering, along with legal costs. The ruling exceeds the request from the Prosecution, which sought 12 years in prison and €15,000, while the private prosecution requested 18 years.

The convicted man's lawyer has announced that they will appeal the decision. During the trial, held on October 13 in the seventh section of the Court, the young woman recounted that the abuses occurred almost every night while she lived with her uncle, starting when she was 12 years old and continuing until she was 17.

The victim had been under the care of the DGAIA since she was five years old. In September 2016, she left the Puig d'Olena shelter in Sant Quirze Safaja to live with the accused. According to her testimony, the man took advantage of their shared bed and gave her alcohol and cocaine during the incidents.

“I had my self-esteem in the gutter, I was devastated and didn’t know who to turn to,” the young woman stated before the court.

The formal complaint was filed in February 2024, after she recorded an audio in June 2023 in which, according to her testimony, the accused admitted to the acts. The case also included recordings and testimonies from family members that the accused had acknowledged the relationships.

The case again highlights the protection of minors under guardianship in Catalonia. The DGAIA was replaced in June 2025 by the General Directorate of Prevention and Protection of Childhood and Adolescence, following several complaints about failures in the care of vulnerable adolescents.

The ruling is not final, as the defense has announced an appeal. Any subsequent resolution must be confirmed or modified by the competent court.