On Saturday, the six Germans – all aged between 20 and 29 – appeared before the magistrate. He decided: Five of the men must be in custody. Bail release was out of the question for the judge.- The sixth vacationer was released.
Pretrial detention in Spain can last for weeks or months. If convicted of rape, sentences of up to 12 years can be imposed.
The case has caused a stir far beyond Spain’s borders: a young German man met a man from Germany of about the same age at Ballermann in Playa de Palma on Thursday night. The two first wanted to go to the hotel room, but the receptionist wouldn’t let them through.
The two then moved to the hotel where their five friends had stayed. The two had consensual sex, according to the “Mallorca Zeitung”, citing the police. But then his friends would have joined him. Four of them forced the woman to have sex, one filmed.
Police say the woman fled to the bathroom. One of the men managed to calm her down and escorted her back to the hotel where her friends were also staying. From there, the woman called the police. Five of the men were arrested on Thursday and the sixth on Friday.