Prosecutors Demand 30-Month Suspended Sentence in Stalking Trial

On the second day of the trial against a 31-year-old man from Escaldes-Engordany charged with stalking and abusing his ex-partner between 2021 and 2023, prosecutors reclassified the case as continuous harassment, demanding 30 months of suspended prison time, an eight-year contact ban—with the first four years under qualified enforcement—and a course on non-violent relationships.

Witness accounts from the victim's mother, current partner, coworkers, police, and experts detailed a pattern of public surveillance, emotional coercion, and lasting psychological harm after the breakup. The mother explained accompanying her daughter to avoid encounters with the accused, whom she described as "violent" in a "toxic" relationship marked by unannounced visits to stores and forceful knocking at her door, prompting severe anxiety attacks that left her collapsing in her room and drew eviction threats from neighbors.

The victim's current partner, a former friend of the accused, recounted a deliberate meeting in a plaza parking area as a "trap," where the man demanded explanations after an earlier casual shoulder touch that caused her to flee in distress. He described the accused's demeanor as "challenging," noting he grew angry and accused her of acting "like a coward."

Coworkers confirmed hiring the accused based on strong prior references for the same workplace as the victim, unaware of their history; the company later enforced separation measures, after which he resigned voluntarily, informally blaming family matters. Police described the victim as trembling and struggling to speak during interventions, while the accused remained calm and cooperative. They recovered a knife from him, which he called a daily work tool. One July 2021 episode saw him staring intently from a park, then grabbing her arm despite her being with children, triggering a panic attack that required hospital transport.

The victim's long-term psychologist, treating her since age 17, labeled the relationship "dysfunctional" with elements of domination, including schedule control, silent punishments, and unwanted sexual demands, leading to post-traumatic stress, generalized anxiety, and depression. She estimated 90% recovery but a persistent 10% impact, mainly fear of encountering him, warning that time alone does not ensure full healing. A forensic doctor assessed the psychological damage as 5% permanent partial incapacity.

Prosecutors cited these sequelae and the Istanbul Convention to argue human rights violations through physical and psychological violence. The defence sought full acquittal, blaming emotional immaturity over the breakup, no proven physical violence or threats, and her prior stress issues, while presenting character witnesses as a reliable worker.

The court will issue its sentence on 27 March.