Man Sentenced For Abusing And Impregnating a Minor in Tegucigalpa
The octogenarian’s wife was also sentenced to prison because she was the one who tricked the minor, who was barely 12 years old, into being abused.
This is the photo of the convicted Honduran. – Photo: Public Prosecutor’s Office
After 15 years of escaping justice, a Honduran man over 80 years old who sexually abused and impregnated a minor was convicted on March 4.
The case concerns Evelio Mendoza López, who in 2010 raped a 12-year-old girl, who gave birth to his son, the Public Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement.
According to the investigation carried out by the Special Prosecutor’s Office for the Protection of Children and Adolescents (FEP-NIÑEZ), Mendoza López committed the crime on three occasions at the time.
However, the octogenarian is not the only one guilty of the crime, since these abuses were committed in complicity with his wife, María Leonila Velásquez.
Maria was the one who “using deception and force , brought the girl into her home so that Evelio Lopez could abuse her,” the Honduran agency said.
At that time, the woman was captured and convicted. She is serving a 45-year prison sentence in an unspecified Honduran jail.
He will pay with jail for the abuse of a minor
Following the arrest, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, through the Forensic Medicine Department, carried out paternity tests on the victim’s son, whose identity was not revealed for security reasons.
“The test was 99.99 percent positive ; it was used to prove the crimes committed by Evelio Mendoza,” it was detailed.
As a result, the man was sentenced to 39 years in prison , but it has not been indicated to which prison he will be sent.
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Sexual abuse conviction in Honduras
According to the Honduran Penal Code, Article 249: “The perpetrator of a crime of rape must be punished with prison sentences of nine (9) to thirteen (13) years, prohibition of residence and approach to the victim for twice the time of the prison sentence.”
But this penalty should be increased by one third if the victim is under 14 years of age.
Child abuse in Honduras
In 2024, more than 3,300 reports of different types of abuse against minors were reported in the first three months of the year, with girls being the most affected.
Most of these abuses occurred within the family environment, according to the Secretariat of Children, Adolescents and Family (Senaf).
