Spain court fines man €5,670 for groping two women in bar

Court Fines Man €5,670 for Groping Two Women in Bar

Two non-consensual touches occurred in the early hours of March 24, 2024, around 2:30 AM, in a Pamplona bar. A man approached two women from behind: he grabbed and fondled one’s buttock; he slapped the other’s. The Pamplona Penal Court No. 4 imposed two fines totaling €5,670—12 months at a daily rate of €9 (€3,240) for the grab and 9 months at the same rate (€2,430) for the slap—plus compensation of €1,000 and €800 to each victim. The sentence is appealable to the Navarra Provincial High Court.

The ruling rejects prison time. The Prosecution requested 3 years (18 months per offense); the private prosecution sought a €5,400 fine and €1,000 compensation; the defense asked for acquittal or minimum penalty. The judge relied on the main victim stating she did not want jail but that the acts should not repeat, and on the consistency of testimonies. Two mitigating factors applied: reparation of damage via a prior deposit of €1,800 and partial intoxication, as the accused was “slightly affected by alcohol consumption.”

Who gets paid what: breakdown of the €5,670 fine

The detail most repeated in analysis is not the conviction, but the arithmetic. Of the €5,670 fine, the two women receive €1,000 and €800. The rest goes to public funds. Some view it as a two-tier business: the victim receives a symbolic amount while the State keeps the bulk without contributing anything. Comparison with the Rubiales case—€10,000 for an unconsented kiss, according to circulating calculations—serves as a benchmark for some and a grievance for others.

The daily rate of €9 is described as the system standard, adjusted to the convict’s economic capacity. This mechanism, theoretically equalizing rich and poor, produces results no one fully defends: the same conduct costs the same in terms of fine days, but varies significantly in euros depending on salary.

Twelve months of fines for a touch: penal comparison

Here lies the core of the anger. One school argues that 12 months of fines for sensual assault is excessive comparatively: they recall that serious beatings without major injuries carry up to 3 months of fines, and thefts under €400 also hover around that figure. They conclude the code protects sensual integrity more than physical integrity, and that petty thieves avoid jail while those who grope face financial ruin.

Conversely, arguments state the amount is proportionate or even low: the conduct was double, non-consensual, with proven libidinous intent, and prison was rejected precisely due to the victim’s request. In this reading, the fine is not disproportionate punishment but the euro translation of a sentence already reduced by the judge.

Intoxication as mitigation and the €1,800 deposit

Two circumstances tipped the balance. First, the pre-trial deposit of €1,800 to cover civil liability, valued as reparation of damage. Second, alcohol consumption, which the court assessed as partial intoxication. The lingering question is exactly what harm that money repairs, and whether reparation consists of payment or something else.

The ruling recognizes the truthfulness and consistency of both women’s statements, without contradictions during proceedings. The accused left the venue after the touches and was detained outside thanks to the victims’ actions, who filed immediate complaints. This detail—rapid reaction—supports much of the investigation.

Undisputed context: clubs, complaints, and presumption

A underlying thread runs through the entire issue, beyond the specific case: evidentiary difficulty. Without witnesses, cameras, or conflicting versions, the complainant’s word carries weight some consider excessive and others essential. The presumption of victim credibility, applied to a one-second touch in a crowded club at 2 AM, is where consensus breaks down.

Nostalgia for a previous framework also appears. Older generations remember the nineties and early 2000s as a territory where contact on the dance floor was ambiguous, reciprocal, and rarely judicial. That memory is not a legal argument, but explains why the sentence sounds like a generational shift.

The cost of a butt, according to circulating calculations

The division is simple, hence its circulation: €5,670 divided by two touches equals €2,835 each. Adding compensations of €1,000 and €800. The complete calculation, with daily rates broken down monthly and the difference between what the convict pays and what victims receive, leaves an uncomfortable conclusion about who wins in these procedures.

The sentence is appealable to the Navarra Provincial High Court, so the final figure may change. What does not change is the framework: two non-consensual touches, one March night, a Pamplona bar, and a fine that turned a incivil file into a debate on prices.