A 66-year-old father accused of abusing his minor son in two incidents that allegedly occurred in 2018 and 2021 faces a request for 18 months of probation for a continued crime of domestic abuse of a minor. The Prosecutor’s Office maintained this request yesterday before the Court of Courtswhile the private prosecution claimed compensation of nearly 7,000 euros for the costs arising from the judicial procedure and medical and psychological treatment which continues to follow the child, who is currently 12 years old.
The minor’s emotional situation focused much of the oral hearing. The facts on trial correspond to a first episode that the boy related when he was four years old, in which he assured his mother that the father had taken him by the neckand another incident that occurred in December 2021, when he explained to the mother, professionals and the school that the father he would have thrown her to the ground and punched her during an argument related to his brother, with whom he usually fought, according to the parent. One of the psychologists who treated the boy for years described him as an infant with high levels of anxiety, difficulty managing frustration and high demands on oneself.
The professional explained that the minor “correctly differentiated reality from fantasy” and that the account he had given of the events reported was compatible with the experiences he had been explaining during the therapeutic process. However, he also acknowledged that there was a possibility that had “oversized” some episode. The relationship with his brother also appeared recurrently during the psychological follow-up. As indicated, the minor expressed “feelings of jealousy and the perception that the father favored the brother”. This feeling was a common source of conflict between the two children and was worked on during therapy sessions.
The mother explained that the son is currently in psychological and psychiatric treatmentand which follows a pharmacological regimen prescribed by specialists. The child receives medical treatment related to a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress and continues to follow up therapeutically. The two social service technicians who intervened in the case explained what they had detected “conflict” between the parents and certain anxiety of the minor in relation to the fathercircumstances that led to the opening of a file and a family intervention plan. The follow-up was subsequently closed after a positive evolution was observed.
During the hearing, the defendant’s eldest son, the result of a previous relationship with the man and present on the day of the incident, also testified. He assured that he had never seen the father exercise physical or psychological violence against him or his two brothers minors Regarding the events of December 2021, he explained that there was tension between the adults and that he himself tried to act as a mediator to reassure the minor, without witnessing any aggression. In the conclusions, the private prosecution insisted on the credibility of the account of the child and the defense asked for the father’s acquittal arguing that there is no objective evidence to substantiate the alleged assaults, thus casting doubt on the minor’s story.
