A British tourist who admitted raping a fellow UK holidaymaker at a hotel in Magaluf has been given a two-year suspended sentence after reaching a plea deal with prosecutors.
Billy John Chard had been facing up to seven years in prison when he appeared at a court in Palma de Mallorca. He will avoid prison provided he pays his victim £5,000 in compensation and does not reoffend during the next two years.
The assault took place in July 2022 at the BH Mallorca Resort, after Chard met the 22-year-old woman at a pool party and invited her to his room.
Prosecutors said in an indictment that the woman had consumed a large quantity of cocaine and vodka before losing consciousness. They alleged that Chard took advantage of her condition and sexually assaulted her while she was unable to consent or object.
Alcohol and drug intoxication were among the mitigating circumstances taken into account by the court when sentence was imposed.
Chard arrived at the hearing with his lawyer. It was not immediately clear when he had been released on bail ahead of the trial, which had been scheduled to last two days.
The same Magaluf hotel was the scene of a separate case in August 2023 involving the alleged gang rape of an 18-year-old British tourist.
Seven French nationals and one Swiss national later admitted the offence and accepted prison sentences totalling more than 73 years as part of plea agreements with prosecutors.
The group had faced the prospect of more than 150 years in prison if convicted as charged. Five of the men received sentences of either nine or 11 years, depending on whether they had assaulted the teenager once or repeatedly.
All eight admitted filming the attack, with two acknowledging that footage had been posted on Snapchat.
After that incident, BH Mallorca Resort said it was co-operating fully with the Civil Guard and investigators and offered support to the victim.
A spokesman said the resort “deeply regrets what has happened” and expressed its “firm and forceful repudiation of the alleged sexual attack”, adding that the hotel wanted to show solidarity with the holidaymaker.
