The San Joaquín de Flores Prosecutor’s Office in Costa Rica succeeded in having a man with the surnames Rojas Campos sentenced to 20 years in prison after proving his responsibility in the crime of sexual abuse committed against his stepdaughter, who was eight years old when the assaults began.
The sentence was handed down on July 15 by the Heredia Criminal Court, after the judges analyzed the evidence presented during the oral trial and concluded that the defendant was responsible for the investigated events. The ruling was announced this week by the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
According to the investigation conducted by the Prosecutor’s Office, the abuses occurred between 2017 and 2019 in the town of La Asunción, in Belén de Heredia. During that period, the minor was the victim of repeated sexual assaults by the man, who lived with the girl’s mother and acted as a stepfather within the household.
According to the evidence presented during the trial, the now-sentenced individual took advantage of his closeness to the victim and the position of authority he held within the family unit to commit the crimes. The prosecution also maintained that the man used his physical and psychological superiority to subdue the minor and facilitate the commission of the abuses.
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The Public Prosecutor’s Office was able to prove these facts through the various pieces of evidence incorporated during the trial, which allowed the Court to establish the criminal responsibility of the accused and impose a sentence of 20 years in prison.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office indicated that the evidence presented at trial made it possible to demonstrate the criminal responsibility of the accused. Source: Public Prosecutor’s Office
Although the sentence has already been issued, the process has not yet concluded definitively. While the resolution becomes final and the corresponding procedural stages are exhausted, Rojas Campos must remain in pretrial detention by order of the Heredia Criminal Court.
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This type of precautionary measure seeks to ensure that the convicted person remains at the disposal of the judicial authorities while the sentence becomes final, especially in high-severity crimes and when there is a significant prison sentence.
Sexual offenses committed against minors are considered especially serious by the Costa Rican legal system due to the impact they have on the physical and emotional development of the victims. In addition to the immediate aftermath, specialists have warned that this type of aggression can cause psychological consequences that extend for years if there is no adequate professional support.
In many of these cases, the aggressor belongs to the victim’s close circle, whether as a family member, stepfather, guardian, or a trusted person, a circumstance that makes reporting difficult and prolongs the time the events remain hidden. Precisely for this reason, authorities insist on the importance of paying attention to possible behavioral changes in children and adolescents, as well as reporting any suspicion of violence or abuse.
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The Public Prosecutor’s Office has reiterated that the investigation and prosecution of sexual crimes against minors constitutes an institutional priority. To this end, it works in coordination with other entities in charge of child protection, with the aim of reducing revictimization during the criminal process and strengthening the collection of evidence that allows those responsible to be brought to justice.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office stated that the evidence presented at trial allowed for the criminal liability of the accused to be proven.
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With this resolution, the Heredia Criminal Court concluded the trial stage and established a 20-year prison sentence against the defendant, who will remain deprived of liberty while the sentence becomes final and the fulfillment of the conviction can formally begin.
