TikTok Slapper Jailed Despite Girlfriend Protests
A man who slapped his partner while she was broadcasting a live video on TikTok has been sentenced to one year in prison for domestic violence even though she pleaded for him to be spared.
He was convicted of an assault “in front of thousands of people” and has now been jailed by a court in the Spanish city of Soria for a year.
The man hit his partner while she was doing a live stream with three other influencers. Initially, she claimed that her father slapped her but later admitted that it was her partner. She justified the attack by saying that her comments during the live stream had “annoyed” him.
He became enraged at what he thought was her flirting with one of the other participants in the live chat and, as a result, slapped her, “making her cry,” according to the court verdict.
But she refused to file a complaint even when it went viral on TikTok and Twitter, causing concern among the authorities elected because in cases of domestic violence and gender violence, a victim’s complaint is not necessary to convict the perpetrator. It is enough to know the facts.
The man was arrested on January 31st and has now been jailed.
The sentence includes a three-year ban on approaching the victim, her home, or workplace within 300 meters and communicating with her by any direct or indirect means. The convicted man is also prohibited from owning or carrying weapons for three years.
Passing sentence, the judge said that the accused, “in a public and notorious way, in front of thousands of people, assaulted his partner with the intention of damaging her physical integrity and humiliating her in public, without causing any injuries but with evident and real violence, thus fulfilling all the requirements provided in Article 153.1 of the Criminal Code, and the accused is guilty of an offence of domestic violence.”
The judge added that the legal case had taken place because “in cases of gender violence, the victim’s complaint is not necessary, and the perpetrator can be convicted once the crime is known.”
And she concluded: “The mere fact of broadcasting the slap live is enough for the public authorities to deploy their protection measures for the victim, regardless of whether she recognizes herself as such.
“In cases of violence against women, as in all cases of serious assault, the victim’s consent is irrelevant, and punishment is always appropriate.”