The Prosecutor's Office announces an appeal to the Supreme Court against the reduction of sentence for one of those convicted of 'La Manada'

MADRID, 15 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Prosecutor's Office announced this Friday an appeal to the Supreme Court (TS) against the decision of the Superior Court of Justice of Navarra (TSJN) to reduce by one year - from 15 to 14 - the prison sentence imposed on one of the five convicted by 'La Manada' for the group rape of the 2016 Sanfermines, by applying what is known as the 'yes is yes law'.

According to tax sources consulted by Europa Press, the announcement has come from the Navarrese Prosecutor's Office and it will be the TS who will have the last word, although everything indicates that an appeal will be formalized.

The TSJ explained that it reduced the sentence because the Supreme Court itself indicated in the sentence with which it aggravated the sentence of 'La Manada' that it imposed a sentence of 15 years, "close" or "close" to the legal minimum, a minimum that mentioned law reduced "significantly". Specifically, he explained that with the new law the minimum sentence falls by 1 year and 3 months, going from 14 years, 3 months and 1 day to 13 years.

"Consequently, the 15 years of prison imposed remain 2 years above the possible minimum that, effectively, are within the possible penological arc, but which, in the opinion of the majority of this Chamber, no longer meets the parameter set by the Court Supreme Court in its ruling, when it described the sentence imposed as 'very close to the legal minimum', or as 'a sentence higher than the legally provided minimum, although very close to it,' the TSJ argued.

However, the reduction was agreed with the dissenting vote of Judge Esther Erice Martínez, who advocates maintaining the sentence handed down at the time by the Supreme Court, against the majority decision. Last February, the Provincial Court already rejected the review requested by the defense of this convicted man, which asked to go from 15 years to 13 years and 9 months.

In statements to Europa Press, lawyer Teresa Hermida, who represents the victim of 'La Manada', also announced that she will appeal the reduced sentence, while saying that the young woman is "uneasy", "disgusted" and "saddened". " after knowing the resolution of the TSJ.

The Supreme Court established criteria last June on the reviews of final sentences carried out due to the 'law of only yes means yes' and endorsed the reductions in sentences by rejecting the application of the fifth transitional provision of the Penal Code (CP) of 1995, which includes the thesis of the Public Ministry.

The State Attorney General, Álvaro García Ortiz, had instructed members of the Public Ministry to advocate for maintaining the old sentence when it was possible to preserve it with the new criminal framework.