Barcelona: A Moroccan man locks up his wife for four months because he "didn’t like her cooking

The Sant Feliu de Llobregat court sanctioned habitual mistreatment that was established from the beginning of their cohabitation on June 30th. The 45-year-old husband imposed total isolation on his wife in their home in Corbera de Llobregat, forbidding her from going out and forcing her to keep the shutters closed at all times. This climate of confinement was accompanied by continuous physical and verbal violence. He hit and insulted her on several occasions, sometimes using trivial pretexts like the quality of the prepared meals, and even went so far as to attack her from behind or deny her access to medical care.

The ordeal ended thanks to an alert launched by the victim herself. On November 14th, she managed to contact the local social services messaging system to ask for advice. The abrupt interruption of communication worried the authorities, who immediately alerted the Mossos d’Esquadra. A joint police intervention at the marital home allowed them to collect her testimony, leading to the husband’s arrest four days later for gender-based violence and illegal detention.

Tried immediately, the defendant admitted the facts and accepted the sentence requested by the public prosecutor. The court sentenced him to fourteen months in prison for abuse and coercion, along with 44 days of community service. He is prohibited from approaching the victim or communicating with her, as well as from possessing a weapon.

Having no criminal record, the man nevertheless avoids incarceration. His prison sentence was suspended for two years, on the condition that he does not repeat the offense and that he attends a training course on equality and non-discrimination.