The Court of Appeal has increased a prison sentence to four years, issuing a clear message that delays in reporting do not diminish the seriousness with which cases of sexual exploitation of minors must be treated. The ruling concerns the Attorney-General’s appeal against what was deemed an manifestly inadequate sentence imposed by the Assize Court in a case of child sexual abuse committed 21 years ago and reported by the victim 17 years after the offences took place.
According to a statement from the Law Office of the Republic, the offences occurred between 2004 and 2005, while the victim reported the case to the Police in 2021 - nearly 17 years later. The Office emphasised that the delay stemmed from the fact that the victim only felt able to come forward after reaching adulthood and receiving psychological support.
The Law Office highlighted the decision as a reminder that the time lapse between the commission of sexual offences against minors and their reporting should not be seen as an obstacle by victims considering whether to come forward.
In its ruling, the Court of Appeal stressed that the victim’s delay in filing a complaint, as well as the long gap between the offences and the commencement of judicial proceedings, “does not lead to the elimination of the strictness with which such cases must be handled. Nor does the time that passed between the complaint and the imposition of sentence in this case determine the nature or severity of the penalty.”
The Court further noted that penalties imposed in such matters “must be strict and deterrent due to their particular seriousness, as these are crimes that violate public morals while simultaneously offending and devastating the victim’s personality.”
The defendant had originally been sentenced to concurrent prison terms of two years and six months for four sexual offences. He appealed those sentences, arguing they were excessive; his appeal was dismissed as unfounded.
The Attorney-General’s subsequent appeal seeking a harsher penalty was upheld, and the original sentence was replaced with four years’ imprisonment.
The case on behalf of the Attorney-General was handled by Marina Masoura, Lawyer of the Republic.