First sentence to a religious of Montserrat for pedophilia. This Monday, the JSV monk accepted two years in prison for a continuous crime of sexual abuse of a minor, with the mitigating circumstance of partial reparation for the damage and confession. He did so during the trial, which was held in the Barcelona Court. The sentence, advanced by ‘El Periódico’ and consulted by ABC, also imposes the religious prohibition on approaching within 1,000 meters of the victim, as well as on communicating with her by any means for six years.
The magistrates also decree his supervised release for five years, and special disqualification for any profession or trade, whether paid or unpaid, that involves regular and direct contact with minors for a period of five years longer than the prison sentence imposed. Furthermore, as civil liability, JSV must compensate the victim with 20,000 euros. Subsidiary civil liability is Montserrat Monastery.
The victim, born in 2002, came into contact with the Abbey through the ‘Young Montserrat’ meetings, which were held twice a year. It was in this context that she established a relationship with her future abuser, known in the religious sphere as ‘Brother G.’. As the years went by, the monk became a personal reference for the minor, and was even his confirmation godfather. He was aware that he was a victim of bullying at school, that he had problems accepting his homosexuality, so he sought advice.
This is how, “in the framework of this intimate relationship,” the ruling states, the religious invited the minor to spend a weekend at the Monastery, paying the expenses of his stay. The victim accepted, and stayed in a cell at the Abbey, between May 3 and 5, 2019. One of the nights, the religious appeared in the room with a bottle of cava and offered to drink it. After that, he abused the minor. The same thing happened the next night.
The victim, the sentence notes, “despite being uncomfortable with the situation, he did not verbalize it clearly, due to his state of semi-intoxication, the age difference, the ascendancy that the accused had over him and the unusual environment in which “was found.” Only “he was able to show his disagreement when the accused kissed him on the mouth,” state the proven facts, which consider that “He consciously took advantage of all this» the monk.
What happened caused the minor a post-traumatic stress disorderwho required psychotherapy and psychological follow-up for a period of at least two years, during which he decided to file this complaint. For his part, the accused acknowledged, already in his first statement, “having maintained the relationships described, recognizing the facts and collaborating in a relevant manner with justice.” With the same purpose, many magistrates, through a restorative justice process, have asked the minor for forgiveness for the acts committed.
For its part, “the Monastery of Montserrat has consigned 5,000 euros, in addition to the 15,000 already consigned when requested for this during the investigation, with an interest in its immediate delivery to the injured party to alleviate the damages suffered.” For all this, the court applies the mitigating circumstance of confession and reparation for the damage, and the monk has been sentenced to two years in prison.
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