The Magaluf gang sentenced to 72 years in prison for raping an 18-year-old woman

PalmThe eight men accused of the gang rape of an 18-year-old woman in Magaluf in August 2023 admitted to the crime and accepted a combined sentence of 72 years and three months in prison. The plea agreement was finalized Monday morning before the trial was scheduled to take place in the Second Section of the Provincial Court of the Balearic Islands. The defendants—seven French nationals and one Swiss national—admitted that on August 14, 2023, they went to a hotel room in Magaluf where one of the victim's companions was staying. They admitted that, aware of the woman's unconscious state, they undressed her, sexually assaulted her, and raped her multiple times.

According to the prosecution's indictment, the defendants also made obscene comments during the assaults and recorded up to 21 videos of the rapes on their mobile phones. These recordings were later shared via an instant messaging application. The eight men were remanded in custody a few days after the events. Initially, the prosecution sought sentences totaling 153 years in prison and €190,600 in civil damages. Ultimately, the plea agreement—which includes the mitigating circumstance of reparation of damages because the defendants have already committed to paying compensation—reduced the total sentence to 72 years and three months in prison. In addition to the sexual assault charges, all were convicted of crimes against privacy for recording and distributing the videos.

Regarding the sexual assaults—two of which were not found guilty—the sentences vary according to the severity of the acts. Three of the offenses are continuous, two involved penetration, and one did not. Specifically, two of the convicted men accepted 13 years and 3 months in prison; one, 13 years; two, 11 years; another, 6 years and 3 months; and two, 2 years and 3 months. The judge read the sentence orally at the end of Monday's hearing, pending the full written ruling.