CGPJ strengthens gender violence court in Ceuta following 23 sexual assaults
The CGPJ appoints magistrate Consuelo Andreo to reinforce Ceuta's court, where the Public Prosecutor's Office has recorded 23 sexual assaults, 9 of which involved minors.
Magistrate from Cartagena assigned to Ceuta to handle surge in sexual assault cases
The Permanent Commission of the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) agreed on Tuesday, in an extraordinary session, to reinforce the court in Ceuta with jurisdiction over violence against women. The measure comes after the State Public Prosecutor's Office raised the number of sexual assaults recorded in the wake of the migration crisis to 23, according to El Mundo.
The appointed magistrate is Consuelo Andreo Ruiz, currently assigned to a court in Cartagena that also has jurisdiction over gender violence. Andreo will assume position number 4 of the Civil and Investigative Section of the Court of First Instance in Ceuta for an initial period of six months, extendable if deemed necessary.
The proposal came from Beatriz Pérez Heredia, acting president of the Higher Court of Justice of Andalusia, Ceuta and Melilla. Legal sources indicate that Andreo was selected from among four candidates for being the most senior in the Judicial Service, for her track record in criminal jurisdiction and for already having expertise in matters of violence against women in her current position.
The call for the secondment commission was agreed on 25 August for reasons of urgency, under article 160.7 of the Organic Law of the Judicial Power, due to the increase in workload generated by the migration crisis on 30 and 31 July in the autonomous city.
According to prosecution sources, of the 23 sexual assault victims recorded to date, nine are minors aged between 14 and 17 years old. The cases are linked to the mass arrival of approximately 70,000 migrants recorded in Ceuta on 30 July.
Source: El Mundo