Andorra's court sentences 35-year-old Frenchman to 16 months served plus suspended term for assaulting a

Andorra's Corts Court has sentenced a 35-year-old French tourist to four years in prison for sexually assaulting a 20-year-old Catalan woman in an Andorra la Vella nightclub bathroom on 27 October 2024. The ruling sets 16 months as firm time—already served during pre-trial detention at La Comella—with the balance suspended conditionally for four years, allowing immediate release. Additional measures include a 20-year expulsion from Andorra, a 10-year ban on contacting or approaching the victim, €1,000 for physical injuries, and €6,000 for moral damages. Both sides have 15 days to appeal to the Superior Court.

The woman, who was out with friends, met the man on the dance floor before they went to the toilets. She described initial consent that she revoked during penetration due to pain, repeatedly telling him to stop. He continued, she said, and covered her mouth as her friends searched outside. Medical reports noted vaginal abrasions from violent penetration, blood on her clothes, and post-traumatic stress indicators. The defendant admitted penetration but claimed consent, blaming erection issues on heavy drinking. The court rejected this, relying on forensic evidence, procedural records, and support from the victim's close contacts.

In other rulings the same day, the court convicted a man of minor domestic maltreatment and intentional injuries for pushing his partner to the ground at a Tarter nightclub on 9 February, then assaulting her sister after re-entering via the terrace fence amid a debt-related dispute. He received 18 months' conditional prison suspended for two years, a six-year no-contact order, and court costs. Prosecutors sought—but sentences remain pending for—12 months' conditional prison suspended four years for an adult woman and six weekend home confinements for a then-minor over a January 2020 multiple assault at the former Eivissa Experience nightclub. The victim alleged being pushed down, hair-pulled, kicked in the face and shoulders, and hospitalized with forehead and nose wounds. Friends corroborated seeing a group attack. Both defendants denied involvement, citing crowd chaos and faded memories six years on; one admitted initial hair-pulling but no blows, while post-incident messages were debated as apologies or courtesy. A third person, who accepted a plea, sought to exonerate them. The court will decide on 1 April.

Separately, police arrested a 35-year-old Irish tourist Sunday night for punching a 72-year-old bar owner in Pas de la Casa, knocking him down and causing a head injury requiring hospitalization. Intoxicated and demanding more drinks as the venue closed on Avinguda d'Encamp, the man struck without provocation. The guard duty batllia ordered pre-trial detention at La Comella pending the victim's condition, given the risk of flight. Police also detained a 21-year-old for assaulting another in a Pas de la Casa nightclub.