Overview
- The Public Prosecutor accuses the parents of habitual psychological violence and three counts of illegal detention and now seeks 25 years and 4 months in prison for each.
- The prosecution doubled the moral damages sought to €30,000 per child, up from €15,000, and requests approach and contact bans plus parental-rights inhabilitations.
- The defendants—a 53-year-old German father and a 48-year-old U.S.-born mother with German nationality—gave closed-door testimony in English with interpreters.
- Court experts reported no physical injuries or signs of physical abuse but identified educational and social delays, with some recommending gradual reunification.
- The defense argues the isolation stemmed from an ‘irrational and insuperable’ fear of COVID-19 and irregular residency concerns and urges a social rather than criminal response, while the children remain under Principado custody regardless of the verdict.