Prosecution requested seven years for Michael Roland Williams, Lanzarote

There has been plenty of raw emotion in Arrecife (Lanzarote) court this week as the Prosecution requested seven years for Michael Roland Williams, Lanzarote, accused of abusing the daughter of his partner while they lived together in Costa Teguise.

We have chosen not to describe the details of the alleged offences due to their extremely upsetting nature – however, they are in the public domain in Spanish, should you wish to access them. Links will follow at the base of the article. We shall update this article as more news is available from the court in Arrecife.

The defense

Michael Roland Williams, a Briton, is accused of sexually abusing the girl when she was aged eight and nine. He has declared himself “innocent” during the trial that was held on Tuesday July 3rd in Arrecife and that continues today. “Everything is false,” he said.

Williams, who had a relationship with the mother of the child between December 2012 and May 2014, and who lived with the mother and daughter in Costa Teguise, Lanzarote, has denied touching the child, or asking the child to touch him sexually – as the young victim maintains.

“Why do you think the child says he abused her?” asked the prosecutor. “Because her mother has told her to,” said the defendant, who has accused the mother of the girl of committing fraud against him “of about 250,000 euros .” According to Michael Roland Williams, she “stole” a business that he created.

“She has used this to get rid of me and commit fraud,” added the defendant, who stated that he filed a complaint against the mother for these events, although he later said he did not know in what state the procedure is. “I do not know…  I think pending trial,” he said after being asked about it.

Williams stated that the relationship and coexistence “ended” in May 2014, which was when the mother of the girl reported the alleged facts, because “the relationship was cursed” and because he wanted to return to his ex-partner. His lawyer claims that this could have led the mother of the girl to file the complaint.

The Prosecution

The statement of Michael Roland Williams has clashed however with the story of the girl, who testified before the defendant behind a screen, despite the fact that the Arrecife Courts already have a Sala Gesell so that children can give evidence via video, guaranteeing their privacy and avoiding visual confrontation with the defendant. In her story, the minor has stated that the defendant committed several “sexual acts” with her.

“I tried to say what I could remember and tell the truth,” said the young girl, who also denied that her mother had influenced her to testify against Michael Roland Williams.

The mother speaks

The mother of the minor has also testified at the trial and told thow she “discovered” that her partner had “abused” her daughter in the April, a few weeks before she reported the facts. Later, the daughter told the mother more things and this led to a second complaint being lodged against the defendant. When asked if she believed her daughter, she replied with “Absolutely”. She said that the daughter had not told her earlier because she believed this “was how she made her mother happy.”

The mother of the girl has stated that, after the events, her daughter has needed “14 sessions” of therapy. On the accusations by her ex-partner , she has denied that there is a complaint against her for having stolen the company. In fact, she has claimed that after the events she returned to live in England, that it was he who “dismissed” her and that “since then” she does not know any more about it.

The father

The father of the minor also testified in the trial. He spoke about seeing “strange behavior” in the girl which he flagged up to the mother. “Normally she is a very calm child but she was hyperactive,” said the man, who pointed out that he later learned from the mother about the alleged sexual abuse.

Other witnesses

The current wife of the accused and the then ex-partner has also made a statement expressing her “confidence” in her husband, with whom she has indicated that she “restarted a relationship” when he was still with the mother of the child. The woman explained that this began in February of 2014.

Another woman, who stated that she and her partner have worked for the accused, has said that she “broke” her friendship with the girl’s mother because she realized what she was doing and did not want to be part of it. “It seems she wanted money from the company and used this,” said this witness, stating that she believed the mother “capable” of it.

After two hours of trial, the Sixth Section of the Provincial Court decided to suspend the hearing and set its continuation on Thursday July 5.

Prosecutor requests seven years in prison for the accused

The Public Prosecutor’s Office has requested seven years in prison for the accused, six for a continuous crime of sexual abuse and one for a crime of exhibitionism. It also requests the prohibition of approaching the minor  “at a distance of less than 200 meters, as well as her home, study center or any place frequented by her”, be imposed and to have no communication with her for a period of 10 years.

If convicted, the Prosecutor’s Office also requests supervised release for the accused after serving the sentence, stating that this will consist of a ban in approaching and communicating with the victim for 10 more years; in the prohibition of any activity that involves having children under his custody or care for 10 years; and to participate in sex education programs for paedophiles, also for 10 years.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office requests that the accused compensate the legal representatives of the minor “in the amount of 8,000 euros for the moral damages caused” to the girl.

“I wake up and think he’s looking at me”

The young girl underwent two Psychology sessions to ascertain the effects (if any) on her as a result of the alleged abuse. During one of these sessions she told them, “I wake up and think he’s looking at me.” These reports were provided to the court along with the experts’ findings.

The experts attested that there is no criterion “that subtracts validity” from the minor’s testimony about the sexual abuse that she suffered. The psychologists also defended the “credibility” of the victim’s testimony and made it clear that the child distinguishes between reality and fantasy.

The Prosecution reiterated their requests for recommended punishment for Williams and pointed out that the girl’s statements had not varied in any way. They also dismissed the Defendant’s claims that this was a fabrication by the mother, or that she was attempting to defraud the accused. They pointed out that “It is one thing for a child to explore their own body, but quite another for an adult to interfere in their sexual development.” They concluded, “There are no reasons to prove that this has been a false report.”

Spanish press links

• La Voz – Fiscalía pide siete años de cárcel para un acusado de abusar sexualmente de la hija menor de su pareja
• La Voz – El acusado reconoce que enseño a la niña cómo funcionaba un vibrador pero niega los abusos sexuales
• Lancelot Digital – Piden 7 años de cárcel por abusos sexuales a una menor en Costa Teguise
• La Provincia – Las pesadillas de la menor: “Me despierto y creo que está mirándome“