Eight men have been sentenced to a total of 73 years in prison for the gang rape of a British teenager in a Magaluf hotel in August 2023. The victim, an 18-year-old, was so incapacitated during the attack that she slipped from a semi-conscious to a totally unconscious state. The court described the assault as involving 'particularly degrading and humiliating intimidation and violence'. At one point, one of the attackers went into the corridor of the BH Mallorca Resort and offered 'free sex' with the unconscious teenager to passersby.
The five men who carried out the rape accepted jail terms of nine to 11 years for sexual assault, with three receiving longer sentences because they repeated their crimes. Three other men who filmed the attack but did not participate were handed prison sentences of two years and three months. All the men were aged between 18 and 26 at the time of their arrests. The attack was filmed, with videos focusing on the victim's private parts and showing her being forced to perform sexual acts.
The victim was found sobbing on the floor of the hotel foyer by a security guard, who reported the crime to the police. The men pleaded guilty in exchange for reduced sentences. The case has highlighted the dangers faced by young women in party resorts like Magaluf, which has long attracted British teenagers with cheap prices and sunshine but also harbours a seedy underbelly.
Investigative journalist Ellie Flynn, who went undercover in Magaluf for a Channel 4 documentary, exposed a casual rape culture among partygoers. During her three-night investigation, she posed as a drunk or vulnerable tourist and was approached by men who ignored her refusals. In one incident, two men tried to take advantage of her while she pretended to be incapacitated on a sun lounger, with one saying, 'She's completely wasted, let's go for it.' Flynn said the experience 'genuinely scared' her and revealed a pattern of orchestrated attempts to target drunk women alone.
Flynn expressed horror at the gang rape case, saying, 'It's just so horrifying... I'm so, so sorry for that girl, what she's been through.' The documentary, 'Magaluf Undercover: Predators and Parties', followed Flynn and fellow journalist Emily Birtley as they exposed predatory behaviour on the strip, in clubs, and on the beach.
