Spain Jehovah's Witness Prosecuted for Sexually Assaulting Two 15-year-old Girls
Vigo Spain
Jehovah's Witness Prosecuted for Sexually Assaulting Two 15-year-old Girls
Security cameras in a shopping center parking lot, the Álvaro Cunqueiro hospital, and several motels “corroborate” the encounters | The 62-year-old man denies the allegations
The District Court in Vigo, has issued an indictment against a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses religious congregation for alleged sexual assault on two 15-year-old girls. The case has just been referred to the Provincial Court, pending the submission of charges by the Public Prosecutor's Office, the private prosecution, and the defense. The 62-year-old man denied the allegations during his court statement.
The incidents reported date back to early 2024 when the accused “gained” the trust of one of the minors who was in his local congregation, of which he was a member, and she ended up helping him with deliveries for his business. According to the judge, the 60-year-old man gave her multiple gifts such as “perfumes, stuffed animals, handbags, makeup,” and even “a cell phone” in order to proposition her for sex, kissing her “on several occasions” and also touching her inappropriately.
A Threesome For Money
According to the indictment, he went with the teenager to two motels in the Vigo area on separate occasions with the “purpose” of having sex with her. In mid-April, the defendant took the minor to a shopping center in the city to treat her to a manicure, accompanied by a second victim, also 15 years old. The three of them, as stated in the indictment, went down to the parking lot where the 60-year-old man allegedly proposed “having a threesome in exchange for money,” and he ended up engaging in sexual activity with one of the minors.
Just two days later, the Jehovah's Witness man went to visit the other girl at Álvaro Cunqueiro Hospital, where she was visiting, allegedly going “to a secluded area of the parking lot” where he kissed her and performed sexual acts in exchange for “30 euros.”
Screenshots
The court bases this indictment on a series of pieces of evidence that “corroborate” the respective statements of the complainants. Specifically, recordings from the security cameras at the shopping center and the public hospital in Vigo. In addition, the Vigo magistrate also based his decision to prosecute this Jehovah's Witness on the records of the motels where the minors say they went with the suspect, as well as screenshots of conversations between the defendant and the minors via WhatsApp.
According to this newspaper, the man denied the allegations during his summons as a suspect before the investigating court. Among the documentary evidence provided by his defense is a report that allegedly shows extortion by the minors against the man to withdraw or not file the complaint.
The legal representative of the person under investigation also requested the recusal of one of the judges of the court who, if the case went to trial, would judge the case on the grounds of alleged impartiality. The request was dismissed, as were other investigative complaints that the judges considered “unnecessary” because they refer to another proceeding and, therefore, to other facts that are not related to the present case.