Eight Men Sentenced to 73 Years for Filming Gang Rape in Magaluf Hotel
Eight men have been jailed for a collective total of 73 years after filming themselves gang-raping an 18-year-old British girl in a Magaluf hotel. The group, comprising seven French nationals and one Swiss man, recorded their vile attack and shared pictures and videos on social media platforms. Their sentence represents a reduction of more than half from the initial 151 years they faced.
Details of the Attack
The horrific incident occurred on August 14, 2023, at the BH Mallorca Resort hotel. According to the prosecutor's office, two of the men, who were staying at the hotel, lured the semi-conscious woman to room 108 after plying her with alcohol. Around 7:30 AM, they then invited a group of strangers from the corridor to join them for what they described as "free sex."
Prosecutors stated that the men undressed the woman and raped her for approximately half an hour, taking advantage of the secluded room. They performed various sexual acts on her, acting in concert and without her consent. Videos of the degrading acts were shared on Snapchat, with vile comments made by the men watching and egging on the others.
One man was heard saying, "She lets us touch her; we're going to have some fun today," while another remarked, "There are four of us and a cow." The defendants boasted of their actions with the clear intention of humiliating and violating the victim's privacy.
Investigation and Arrests
The woman managed to flee the room after the attack and alerted local police with the help of hotel staff. She reported waking up surrounded by young men holding mobile phones. The Civil Guard opened an investigation and arrested the men. Police found one suspect still had 14 videos of the brutal attack on his phone, lasting a total of 170 seconds, while another had five recordings, and a third had two more. The videos showed the men laughing and enjoying themselves during the rape.
Three of the group were duped into revealing themselves as suspects when police rang the girl's stolen phone. The man who answered and his two friends were told to head to the hotel reception, not realizing they would meet police and the victim. She identified them as Anthony G, 20, Anthony A, 20, and Khalil A, 18, leading to their arrest. Two other French men, Thomas E, 23, and Romain C, 26, were arrested later at the hotel, along with the Swiss man, Lucas H, 20. Two additional men were hunted by Spanish police for recording the rape without intervening.
Sentencing and Legal Proceedings
All the men were remanded into police custody in a Mallorca prison and pleaded guilty when brought to trial. The prosecution initially sought a total of 151 years in prison, but the Public Prosecutors' Office reduced the sentence to 73 years collectively after striking a deal with the private prosecutor, Irene Hernández from Campaner Law, and the defense lawyers.
Hotel's Troubled History
The four-star adults-only BH Mallorca Resort has a history of shocking incidents. Over the years, several young British tourists have been killed or injured falling from the hotel's balconies. In 2018, four Brits started a huge fire at the same complex, and police were probing two separate alleged sex attacks on British holidaymakers in Magaluf, one of which occurred at this hotel.
In August 2023, a spokesman for the BH Mallorca Resort expressed deep regret and solidarity with the victim, stating, "The BH Mallorca Resort deeply regrets what has happened and would like to manifest its firm and forceful repudiation of the alleged sexual attack. We are co-operating fully with the Civil Guard and its investigators. This hotel ratifies its commitment to the condemnation of all types of sexual attacks that affect peoples' dignity and physical integrity. Behaviour that undermines those rights has no place in this establishment."
