MADRID (AP) — Spain's Supreme Court on Friday overruled two lower courts and sentenced five men to 15 years in prison each for raping an 18-year-old woman.
The case had triggered an outcry because the lower courts last year convicted the men of the lesser crime of sexual abuse, handing down 9-year sentences.
The public prosecutor, the victim and regional authorities appealed to the Supreme Court, asking for a rape conviction and longer sentences. The men's lawyers wanted them acquitted, arguing that the woman consented.
The judges heard both sides' arguments Friday and gave their verdict after just two hours.
Women's rights advocates had expressed anger about what they saw as the lower court's leniency and the confirmation of that sentence by a second court. They have organized national protests since the 2017 verdict.
Prosecutors said the men boasted about the 2016 attack on a WhatsApp group named "La Manada," or "The Animal Pack."