Domestic Violence Lawyers
Criminal Defense Lawyers Specializing in Domestic Violence
Recent Success Cases
Domestic Violence
Result: Acquittal
Court: Criminal Court
Prosecution: Public Prosecutor's Office
Requested sentence: 1 year of imprisonment for domestic violence crime
Domestic Violence
Result: Dismissal
Court: Examining magistrate's court
Prosecution: Police and individual
Accusation: Crime of domestic violence
The crime of domestic violence
Explained by our domestic violence lawyers
Domestic Violence consists of exercising physical or psychological Violence, customarily, on a person who is or has been linked to the responsible person by an affective relationship, on minors or persons in need of special protection who live with him, or on persons who are subject to the power, guardianship or foster care of the cohabitant.
That is to say, this crime includes all those violent conducts that take place in the family environment and that affect one or more of its members.
It is an intentional crime since the active subject carries out the violent acts with total will and consciously.
Domestic Violence is a crime typified in Article 173 of the Penal Code and included in crimes against moral integrity.
The legal right this crime protects is the person’s dignity and peace in the family nucleus.
Victims of Domestic Violence
The victims of domestic violence are all those members who are part of the family nucleus. Specifically, they can be victims of this crime:
- A person who is or has been linked to the active subject by a relationship of affectivity, regardless of whether or not cohabitation exists.
- Descendants, ascendants, or siblings of the spouse or cohabitant, whether by nature or adoption.
- Minors or disabled persons who live with the person responsible or are subject to the power or guardianship of the spouse or cohabitant.
- Any person who is integrated into the family nucleus, even if they do not naturally belong to the family.
All these persons can act as passive subjects in this crime, while the active subject is the person who carries out the Violence in the family environment, which can be any family member.
Differences between domestic violence and gender violence
Entrust your case to a team of domestic violence experts lawyers in Barcelona.
In domestic violence, the victim can be any family member, while in gender violence, it can only be a woman.
Penalties for Domestic Violence
As criminal lawyers specializing in domestic Violence, we have a deep knowledge of the Law.
The crime of domestic Violence carries a prison sentence of six months to three years, along with deprivation of the right to possess weapons for three to five years. A special disqualification for exercising parental authority, guardianship, or foster care of minors or disabled persons for one to five years may also be imposed if the Judge or Court deems it appropriate for the family’s health.
These penalties may be aggravated, being imposed in their upper half, when any of the following circumstances are present:
- When the Violence is carried out in the presence of minors.
- When it takes place in the common domicile or the domicile of the victim.
- When weapons are used to carry out the crime, regardless of whether they are used.
- When a precautionary or security measure is breached, as well as some contemplated in article 48 of the Penal Code.
In addition to these penalties, the crime of domestic violence may carry penalties associated with the injuries caused by the Violence exercised.
If you are involved in a domestic violence crime, we recommend you put the case in the hands of an expert domestic violence defense attorney, who will guide you through all the steps to be taken during this process.
Our law firm, Esteban Criminal Lawyers, specializes in defending our clients in court. We will find the right line of defense to achieve the most favorable resolution for your life and interests.
Esteban Criminal Lawyers
Expert criminal law firm in Barcelona with exclusive dedication to criminal Law and acting nationwide. Numerous successful cases endorse our trajectory. Call us, and let’s discuss the best way to defend you.
What does Organic Law 1 2004 of December 28, 2004, on Comprehensive Protection Measures against Gender Violence regulate?
On December 24, 2008, the Organic Law on Integral Protection Measures against Gender Violence was enacted. This Law aims to implement protection measures to prevent, eradicate and punish domestic and gender violence. Within this purpose is the support and assistance to women victims of this type of Violence and their minor children or minors in their care.
Organic Law on Comprehensive Protection Measures against Gender Violence. It was approved by the Congress of Deputies. It was the first and only comprehensive Law against gender violence implemented then in Europe, and its approval was unanimous.
The purposes of the establishment of this Law appear in Article 2. Guiding Principles:
«(a) To strengthen measures to raise public awareness of prevention, providing the public authorities with effective educational, social services, health, advertising, and media instruments.
b) To enshrine the rights of women victims of gender-based violence, enforceable before the Public Administrations, and thus ensure rapid, transparent, and effective access to the services established for this purpose.
c) To reinforce the social services of information, care, emergency, support, and integral recovery, as well as to establish a system for the most effective coordination of the services already existing at the municipal and autonomic level until the minimum required by the objectives of the Law is achieved.
d) To guarantee rights in the labor and civil service sphere that reconcile the labor and public employment relationship requirements with the circumstances of female workers or civil servants who suffer gender-based Violence.
e) To guarantee economic rights for women victims of gender-based violence to facilitate social integration.
f) To establish a comprehensive system of institutional protection in which the General State Administration, through the Special Government Delegation against Violence against Women, in collaboration with the State Observatory on Violence against Women, promotes the creation of public policies aimed at offering protection to the victims of the Violence contemplated in this Law.
g) To strengthen the penal and procedural framework in force to ensure comprehensive protection, from the jurisdictional instances to the victims of gender violence.
h) coordinate the resources and instruments of all public authorities to prevent acts of gender-based Violence and, where appropriate, the adequate punishment of the perpetrators.
i) To promote the collaboration and participation of entities, associations, and organizations that act against gender violence from civil society.
j) To promote the specialization of the professional groups involved in information, care, and protection of victims.
k) To guarantee the principle of the transversality of the measures so that in their application, the specific needs and demands of all women victims of gender violence are taken into account.»
Jurisprudence
Physical and psychological violence in the crime of domestic violence
Sentencia AP BU 713/17
«La Sentencia de esta Sala 927/200 de 24-6, realiza un detenido estudio de las características y funciones al antiguo art. 153 CP -actual art. 173.2 – que penaliza la violencia domestica cuya grave incidencia en la convivencia familiar es innegable y su doctrina debe complementarse por otras ss. T.S. 645/99 de 29 abril, 834/2000 de 19 de mayo, 1161/2000 de 26 de junio o 164/2001 de 5 marzo. La violencia física y psíquica a que se refiere el tipo es algo distinto de los concretos actos de violencia aisladamente considerados y el bien jurídico es mucho más amplio y relevante que el mero ataque a la integridad, quedando afectados fundamentalmente valores de la persona y dañado el primer núcleo de toda sociedad, como es el núcleo familiar. Esta autonomía del bien jurídico, de acción y de sujetos pasivos, unido a la situación de habitualidad que se describe en el art. 153 es el que permite con claridad afirmar la sustantividad de este tipo penal; los concretos actos de violencia solo tienen el valor de acreditar la actitud del agresor y por ello ni el anterior enjuiciamiento de estos actos impide apreciar la existencia de este delito (se estaría en un supuesto de concurso de delitos, art. 77, y no de normas) ni se precisa tal enjuiciamiento, bastando la comprobada realidad […]
The assessment of testimony in the crime of domestic violence
Sentencia AP PO 244/15
“Invocado el error en la valoración de la prueba, este principio solo alcanza a garantizar la interdicción en cuanto al dictado de resoluciones condenatorias en el ámbito penal, cuando aquellas carezcan de todo sustento probatorio o que, aun teniéndolo, la prueba hubiera sido obtenida con violación o infracción de derechos fundamentales, no así cuando conste allegado al proceso o causa, en mayor o menor media, dicho aporte probatorio material, lo que hará, desde tal instante, que adolezca de virtualidad la invocación – abusiva, en tantas ocasiones- relativa a la violación por inaplicación del principio, elevado a rango de derecho fundamental, de presunción de inocencia, pues en tales supuestos lo que realmente se debate no es otra cosa que la divergente valoración que la parte realiza sobre el contenido o resultado de la prueba practicada, en cuanto se imputa al Juzgado una valoración errónea sobre su contenido, lo que ninguna relación guarda con el principio de referencia; es decir, que no cabe confundir presunción de inocencia con la valoración de la prueba efectuada por el Juzgador.
En tal sentido, por todas STS de 15/11/07 , señala que La doctrina de esta Sala sobre la vulneración del derecho a la presunción de inocencia alcanza a los supuestos en los que hay una total ausencia de prueba y a los casos en los que […]
Criminal appeal for domestic violence
Sentencia 108/2022
<<Como concluye la sentencia de esta Sala de 3-7-2006, bajo la expresión «ánimo de matar» se comprenden generalmente en la jurisprudencia el dolo directo como el eventual.
a.- Dolo directo. La acción viene guiada por la intención de causar la muerte.
b.- Dolo eventual. Tal intención no puede ser afirmada, si bien en el autor conoce los elementos del tipo objetivo, de manera que sobre el peligro concreto que crea con su conducta para el bien jurídico protegido, a pesar de lo cual contenía su ejecución, bien porque acepta el resultado probable o bien porque su producción le resulta indiferente. En cualquiera de los casos, el conocimiento de ese riesgo no impide la acción. En otras palabras, se estima que obra con dolo quien, conociendo que genera un peligro concreto jurídicamente desaprobado, no obstante, actúa y continúa realizado la conducta que somete a la víctima a riesgos que el agente no tiene la seguridad de poder controlar y aunque no persiga directamente la causación del resultado, del que no obstante ha de comprender que hay un elevado índice de probabilidad de que se produzca. Entran aquí en la valoración de la conducta individual parámetros de razonabilidad de tipo general que no puede haber omitido considerar el agente, sin que sean admisibles por irrazonables, vanas e infundadas esperanzas de que el resultado no se produzca, sin peso frente al más lógico resultado de actualización de los riesgos por el agente generador.
En similar dirección la STS 4-6-2011 dice que el dolo supone que el agente se representa en resultado dañoso, de posible y no necesaria originación y no directamente querido, a pesar de lo cual se acepta, también conscientemente, porque no se renuncia a la ejecución de los actos pensados. Lo que significa que, en todo caso, es exigible en el autor la conciencia o conocimiento del riesgo elevado de producción del resultado que su acción contiene.
En definitiva, el conocimiento del peligro propio de una acción que supera el límite de riesgo permitido es suficiente para acreditar el carácter doloso del comportamiento, al permitir admitir el dolo cuando el autor somete a la víctima a situaciones que no tiene seguridad de controlar, aunque no persigue el resultado típico.
Por todo ello, concurren en la sentencia los elementos probatorios expuestos suficientes para admitir la autoría y colaboración decisiva de la recurrente en el crimen según se ha expuesto con detalle.>>