The Valparaíso Guarantee Court ordered the preventative detention of two former Carabineros officers on Wednesday following accusations that they sexually assaulted a woman during a police procedure on April 4. The two men, who were dismissed from the police force after the allegations surfaced, face formal charges of rape of a person over 14 years of age and the commission of illicit constraints.
According to the prosecution, the incident began in the early hours of the morning when the officers performed an identity check in downtown Valparaíso. The victim was initially transported to the Octava Comisaría Florida police station. Prosecutors allege that after her identity was verified, the officers offered to drive her to a private residence, during which time the assault occurred inside the police vehicle.
Prosecutor Paulina Madariaga stated that the state’s case relies on a variety of evidence. "We have witness statements, camera footage, records of the involved police vehicle’s route, and additionally, we are awaiting multiple scientific examinations," Madariaga said.
Defense challenges evidence
The defense team, led by attorney Leonardo Contreras, vehemently denied the charges and questioned the integrity of the investigation. Contreras argued that the prosecution failed to collect statements from all officers involved in the initial procedure and contended that the sexual encounter was entirely consensual.
"The supposed victim was in her right mind; she was lucid, as stated by the medical analysis carried out by professionals at the Carlos Van Buren Hospital," Contreras said. The defense further challenged the prosecution's narrative by suggesting that witnesses supporting the claim of the victim's vulnerability due to alcohol consumption only appeared days after the incident.
"Our thesis is that the victim was in her right mind and that the relationship, as my client has pointed out, was consensual," the defense attorney emphasized. Despite these arguments, the court found the evidence presented by the prosecution sufficient to establish the crime.
The court determined that the severity of the alleged acts, combined with the fact that the accused were active public servants at the time of the incident, necessitated their incarceration. A 120-day investigation period has been established to finalize evidence gathering and prepare for the next stages of the legal process.
