Andorra Extradites Convicted Spanish Child Sex Offender to Serve 5.5-Year Sentence

Andorran police extradited a 44-year-old man from Seville to Spain on Thursday morning, handing him over to National Police at the Riu Runer border crossing to serve a five-and-a-half-year prison sentence for continuous sexual assault and abuse against minors committed between 2013 and 2016.

The man, convicted in 2023 by Spain's Audiència Provincial de Sevilla, had resided in Andorra since 2019. Local officers grew suspicious of his presence, triggered international cooperation channels, and confirmed he remained at large to serve the sentence. Once Interpol issued the global alert, Andorra's National Interpol Office arrested him in Andorra la Vella last October on orders from the Public Prosecutor's Office. Courts placed him in pretrial detention at the Centre Penitenciari while extradition proceedings advanced.

The process faced resistance from the defense, which appealed the Tribunal de Corts' approval to block the transfer. During hearings, the man stated he would rather die than return to Spain. His lawyer cited risks to his mental health, including autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit, depression, and prior suicide attempts, along with family hardships such as his biological son's death last December, his wife's illness, and a minor daughter living in Andorra. Prosecutors argued no exceptional circumstances existed, noting Spain's prison system could provide necessary care and rights, and Andorra lacked legal grounds to enforce the sentence locally.

The Tribunal Superior rejected the appeal, confirming the extradition. Security measures were heightened after authorities found a drawn map of the penitentiary in the man's possession. Under Andorra's penal code, the offenses equate to aggravated sexual assault constituting rape.