An entire family subjected to systematic violence, labour exploitation and sexual assault for four years while travelling across Spain with a circus. The Provincial Court of Cáceres has sentenced three members of the owning family of Gran Circo África to a combined 76 years in prison, in a ruling that describes episodes of such extreme brutality that the judges directly refer to the accused as "torturers".

A calvary documented in videos

The events occurred between 2020 and 2024, a period in which the victims—a couple and two minor children—lived with the accused while the circus travelled through different Spanish towns. According to eldiario.es, the judges found it proven that the couple was subjected repeatedly to "blows, threats, insults and degrading acts" in a context of "absolute domination".

What proved especially decisive for the conviction were videos recorded on mobile phones documenting sexual acts against the minors. These images, incorporated into the case file, corroborated the victims' testimony and allowed the court to document crimes of child sexual exploitation and production of child pornography.

The minors also assaulted and exploited

The couple's two children were subjected to physical assaults, threats and continuous punishment, as well as being forced to perform tasks within the circus under exploitative working conditions. The court finds that the accused exploited the family's "extreme economic vulnerability" to impose abusive labour conditions upon them.

• Three accused convicted of crimes against workers' rights
• Four convictions for crimes against moral integrity (one per family member)
• Multiple convictions for sexual assault of minors and child pornography

How the horror was discovered

The investigation was launched after the woman managed to escape. Days later, her husband also fled, and both reported the facts to the Civil Guard when the circus was in Cáceres province. Following that report, the Civil Guard executed an operation that freed the minors and initiated judicial proceedings.

The Court of First Instance and Investigation 1 in Trujillo handled the case, which was subsequently referred to the Provincial Court of Cáceres for trial.

A controversial acquittal

The ruling acquits a fourth accused and notably dismisses human trafficking charges that the Public Prosecutor's Office had initially pursued. The judges consider that, although exploitation and ill-treatment were proven, it was not established "with the certainty required" in criminal proceedings that the victims had their freedom of movement completely nullified nor that there was an aim of sexual exploitation in the recruitment of the minors.

Despite this partial acquittal, the convictions for violence, sexual assault of minors and child pornography constitute substantial sentences that reflect the gravity of what occurred.

What it means for the victims

Although information on measures for reparation or psychological support for the victims has not yet emerged, the ruling represents a judicial recognition of their suffering and an exemplary condemnation of their abusers. It remains to be seen whether the convicted will appeal and how the sentence will be executed in practice, as well as what will become of Gran Circo África following this conviction.