Man goes jail for hitting wife live on TikTok
MADRID: On Monday, the court sentenced a Spanish man to a year in prison for slapping his wife on a TikTok video, even though the victim chose not to report the incident to the police.
A court in the northern city of Soria found the guy guilty of violence against women and barred him from getting a gun and being within 300 metres (1,000 feet) of his wife or contacting her for three years.
On January 28 in the early hours, the woman was involved in a TikTok “battle,” which is a live streaming competition among multiple streamers with viewers determining the winner, with three men. The sentence is a result of an incident that occurred during this competition.
Images of a guy striking his wife in the face so forcefully that she turns around and starts crying went viral in Spain.
The court declared that the defendant intentionally attacked his wife in front of a large crowd in order to compromise her bodily integrity and degrade her reputation.
The court also added that in cases of gender assault, the victim does not have to file a complaint. The offender will be punished regardless.
“Whether or not the victim recognises herself as such, broadcasting the slap live is sufficient for the authorities to step in and protect the victim.”
However, in addition to declining to file charges against her husband, the wife also declined to testify against him in court.
The court considered the fact that the police had been called to the couple’s residence previously due to disputes between the accused and his wife. This gave the evidence of continuous abuse.
The fight against domestic abuse has been a top concern for both the right and left of Spanish governments in the past.
In 2004, the European Union’s first law expressly targeting gender-based violence was passed by the parliament with overwhelming support.
Additionally, it set up a hotline that would not be reflected on consumers’ phone bills, created special courts, provided victims with free legal assistance, and more.
Incident in which “Man goes to jail for hitting wife live on TikTok” is definitely a step towards greater women empowerment.
