Filipino Father Sentenced to 15 Years for Six-Year Rape of Daughter in Andorra

The Tribunal de Corts has sentenced a 47-year-old Filipino resident to 15 years in prison for the repeated sexual abuse of his biological daughter over six years, from when she was aged four to ten.

The court found him guilty of a major continued offence of sexual acts amounting to rape against a minor under 14 by an ascendant, a major continued family-based sexual assault, and a minor domestic maltreatment offence against a minor. The abuses occurred in the family home, exploiting the father's position of authority and the girl's vulnerability. Judges gave full credibility to the victim's consistent testimony, supported by psychological and expert reports from the investigation, which highlighted her emotional harm and the father's abuse of superiority.

In addition to the prison term, the ruling includes a 12-year ban on approaching or contacting the victim, disqualification from parental authority, custody, and visitation rights until she reaches 18, and expulsion from Andorra for 20 years after serving the sentence. He must also pay €15,000 in moral damages and cover court costs.

The case emerged in April 2024 when the girl, then 15, confided in trusted contacts. Police arrested the man at the end of a restaurant shift on 30 April and placed him in pre-trial detention, which continued through the closed-door trial on 12-13 January. Prosecutors requested the full 15-year term, while the defence sought acquittal or reclassification as maltreatment, citing doubts. The court identified no significant aggravating or mitigating factors beyond the offence itself. The defence has confirmed plans to appeal to the Superior Court for a reduced sentence.

In other child sex abuse cases, the Superior Court cancelled an appeal hearing on Thursday for a 23-year-old man sentenced to nine years for assaults on three minors between 2021 and 2023. A private prosecutor challenged presiding magistrate Anna Estragués late Wednesday, alleging friendship with the Corts judge who handled the case. The panel's composition had been known for months; the hearing is suspended pending review. The Corts sentence broke down as three years for one major trust-based abuse, four-and-a-half years for another sexual act, and 18 months for a minor offence, with €33,000 in total moral damages. Mitigating factors included the man's age under 21 at some acts and incomplete exemption due to ADHD and autism diagnoses.

Separately, the Superior Court heard arguments Wednesday in an extradition appeal by a Spanish-origin resident, aged 44 to 48, convicted in Seville in 2015 for repeated assaults on two adoptive daughters. Detained in Andorra since October 2024, he resists transfer, citing autism, attention deficit, depression, suicide attempts, and his son's death in December 2024 at his biological mother's home—the same woman who denounced him. He stated a preference for "death or a harsher sentence" to remain near his Andorran wife, who has incurable cancer, and their autistic daughter. His defence seeks local penalty enforcement; prosecutors argue Spain's prisons can manage his care and no exceptional circumstances apply. A ruling is due by 31 March.