Parents of group sexual assault victim: 'Our daughter fell into a trap'

The parents of the 18-year-old woman who was reportedly gang-raped by three men between the ages of 18 and 19 near the Rossé VIP Club in Malaga on 30 October expressed support for their daughter and emphasised their hope that justice will be done in a letter sent to Diario SUR.

The letter contains no resentment and none of the harsh words one might expect from the parents of a young woman whose sexual freedom has been violated. They simply state that they fully believe their daughter's account and that they hope others will not discredit the victim's story. "How can an 18-year-old girl possibly agree to carry out the sexual fantasies - or rather, the animal impulses - of three individuals who, apparently, are not acting for the first time?" they say in the letter.

"Our daughter fell into a trap, a trap set up by three individuals, a trap with a clearly defined modus operandi," the letter reads. The three suspects, who the young woman identified in the snapshots provided by the club's photo booth, have already been provisionally imprisoned.

According to the magistrate's ruling, two of the suspects have police records of previous acts of sexual assault, reportedly committed when they were still underage. One of them was 13 at the time and his age gave him immunity against judicial proceedings.

On the night of the incident, the young woman, who is originally from another province, had gone to the club, located in an industrial area in Malaga city, with her sister and some friends. At one point, acccording to her account, she went out with one of the suspects and they consensually kissed. However, the two other suspects appeared and the three men took turns touching her and sexually assaulting her for half an hour.

The young woman and her sister reported the incident to the police, who took her to a health centre. The medical examination she underwent for her injuries is consistent with her account. This, together with the suspects' police records, resulted in the judge's ruling, which declares the victim's version of the story "credible and convincing".

In their letter to SUR, the victim's parents thank the National Police and the medical staff for their "humane and professional behaviour", both in their approach to the family and the investigation.

The Malaga club has also cooperated with the police, although the incident happened outside its premises. In fact, the suspects were identified thanks to the materials - security camera footage, the photos taken in the photo booth and the customer and schedule records from the night in question - provided by the club's management.

The police were able to locate the suspects thanks to both the footage and the physical description provided by the victim. After being shown the photo booth material, the young woman pointed to her three suspects, who, according to her parents, had acted with a plan.

Although the three men have been remanded in custody, the case is still open. What is more important is the road to recovery that the young woman is facing. "At the end of it all, there is only the victim - the victim we want to protect. She is in a state of depression, with very significant psychological after-effects. She cannot live a normal life; she is undergoing medical treatment and, of course, psychological care," her parents say in the letter.

They ask that their daughter's case is not politicised and that the focus remains on believing the victim and supporting her and all other women who have been sexually assaulted. "We want this, at the very least, to help ensure that this does not happen to other girls."

The parents end their letter by highlighting their daughter's "courage" in reporting what happened, "because it is a very difficult but necessary step". "We are going to help her and support her in every way we can, hoping she can return to a normal life as soon as possible. We want justice for our daughter, who did nothing more than be young and find herself in the wrong place at the wrong time," they conclude.