El Salvador questions child molestation ruling
Church and civic groups in El Salvador are expressing outrage after a court reduced a sexual abuse charge against a judge to a misdemeanor
By The Associated Press
November 14, 2019, 6:32 PM
1 min read
Church and civic groups in El Salvador are expressing outrage after a court reduced a sexual abuse charge against a judge to a misdemeanor.
At issue is the case of a judge who allegedly touched a 10-year-old girls genitals through her clothes on a street in San Salvador in February.
Prosecutors charged him with sexual abuse, which could carry a prison sentence of 8 to 12 years.
However, justices of the First Criminal Tribunal ruled that brief touching of a clothed person in a public space constituted a violation of public decency statutes, punishable by a fine.
Legislators said Thursday they are preparing to change the law to specify such touching of a child would be subject to prison terms similar to sex abuse.
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/el-salvador-questions-child-molestation-ruling-67026204
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