Four sexual assault sentences lowered in Catalonia due to controversial consent law

Four inmates serving sentences in Catalonia for sexual assault have had their prison terms lowered by the Catalan High Court (TSJC) due to Spain's controversial consent law known as 'only yes is yes'.

This includes a man who was serving time for three separate assaults dating back to 2019 and whose sentence was brought down to 9 years from 15.

He met up with the women in Pallejà, Caldes, and Molins de Rei, not far from Barcelona, under the pretense of offering them work in order to assault and rob them. One of his victims was raped at knifepoint. 

Another man whose sentence has been lowered is Marc GC, who raped a woman in Vic, in central Catalonia, in 2019 after she had turned him down. His initial sentence was 6 years behind bars but now it has been reduced to 4. 

A man who raped a woman in Barberà del Vallès, not far from Sabadell, who had refused to have sex with him will now serve 5 rather than 7 months and 7 years. 

Lastly, an inmate who had been sentenced to three years for attempting to sexually assault a woman in Sitges in her home after offering to pay her in exchange for sex will now only have a month-long fine. 

Sentences have been lowered for a number of inmates across Spain, making the 'only yes is yes' law a point of contention within Socialist-Podemos coalition cabinet in Madrid.

And while some people have criticized Podemos' equality minister Irene Montero's drafting of the law, others, including Catalan equality minister Tània Verge have placed the blame on judges' "biased rulings."

27% more sexual violence in Barcelona

The Catalan capital has registered a 27% increase in reports of sexual violence since 2019 according to figures made public on Friday by the local security board. 

Reports of gender-based violence have also gone up 24.5% over the same period, with a staggering 58% rise in domestic violence and a 53% rise in parole and restraining order violations. 

This comes as last November the Catalan capital's Hospital Clínic reported a 29% increase in the number of patients treated for sexual assault compared to 2019.