A man who subjected his granddaughter, a minor, by touching her genitals for six years, has been sentenced by the Third Division of the Alicante Provincial Court to five years in prison for the continuing offense of sexual assault of a minor. The court orders compensation of 15,000 euros to be paid to the girl for the damages resulting from the crime she was exposed to. The man will also not be able to approach her, her house, or any other place where she is present, for a distance of more than 500 meters, or communicate with the victim by any means. Likewise, the convicted person is prohibited from practicing any profession or trade, paid or unpaid, that involves regular and direct contact with minors for a period of nine years. The events began in 2009, when the victim was four years old, and the convict was 67 years old. According to the report of proven facts of the ruling, the man took advantage of being the one responsible for picking up the little girl from school because the mother had assaulted her. According to the ruling, the prisoner took advantage of the family relationship he had with the girl, “in order to satisfy” his sexual desire, “and took off his clothes in front of her on various occasions, and asked her to kiss him and subject her to touching her genitals.” The situation continued for six years and ended in 2015, when the girl was ten years old. The minor recounted the events years later, when, based on activity around the sexual assault she had suffered at school, she confirmed that this was what she had been exposed to at the hands of her grandfather. The events caused the victim to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression. During the oral trial, the convicted man denied the facts and said that he had never been left alone with the little girl during the years he had been taking care of her while her mother was working. However, the Chamber concluded that, after a joint evaluation of the evidence conducted, namely the psychological reports, the minor’s statements – which were “detailed, sustained over time and robust” -, and the absence of false motives on the part of the victim, the events occurred as stated in the proven facts section of the decision, and they constitute a continuing underlying offense of sexual assault of a minor, and abuse of a domestic relationship. The ruling is not final and can be appealed to the Civil and Criminal Chamber of the Superior Court of Justice of the Valencian Community.