Sexual harassment on Big Brother in Spain leads to the conviction of a participant in prison

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José María López harassed a reality show contestant in 2017 after an alcohol-fueled party. He was sentenced to 15 months in prison. Warning: this report contains some disturbing descriptions. A former Big Brother Spain contestant has been sentenced to 15 months in prison for sexually assaulting a fellow showmate. José María López harassed a reality show contestant in 2017 after an alcohol-fueled party. The footage was never aired, and López was ejected from the show after the attack. The judge said Lopez was “moved by a libidinous impulse” and was aware that the victim was “intoxicated”. The victim reported the incident to the police in 2018. The trial was supposed to start in February 2022 but was postponed as she did not feel in a position to testify. Before the attack, López and the woman had a relationship inside the Big Brother house. The judge said López removed the victim’s pants while the two shared a bed, before making “sexual movements” under the duvet. The victim said “I can’t” before “the defendant’s lewd movements continued for several minutes, until the victim’s face and arm were uncovered, revealing his unconscious state, leading [os produtores do programa] to intervene”, according to the judge’s order. López said he did not realize that his victim was unconscious. The judge stated that López treated the victim as a “sex toy”, “without there being the slightest shadow of consent and, consequently, of freedom on her part in what happened”, according to a report by the Spanish newspaper El País. The next morning, the producers showed the victim the video of the aggression in the room called the confessional. Although López received a 15-month sentence, it is not clear if he will indeed be arrested. Under Spanish law, people who receive a sentence of less than two years and do not have a criminal record do not always have to serve time in prison. The judge also imposed a four-year restraining order on López, a period during which he could not contact the victim. He was ordered to pay her €6,000 (R$32,000). The Spanish production company that put on the show, Zeppelin Televisión SA, will also have to pay compensation for “moral damage” caused by not providing enough support to the victim. The assault only became public two years after the fact, when a Spanish news website, El Confidencial, released footage of the moment the producers showed the victim the video of the assault. Big Brother was created in Holland in 1999. Over the years, the program has been involved in several controversies. In 2006, two male contestants were removed in Australia for assaulting a woman. In Brazil, where a Brazilian version of the show is shown on TV Globo, two contestants were evicted from the house last month: Antônio Carlos Júnior and Guilerme Aparecido Dantas Pinho, known as Cara de Sapato and MC Guimê. At a party, MC Guimê touched the body of a participant without his consent. Sapato Face kissed and made physical contact with a contestant. The Rio Police opened an inquiry to determine whether they committed the crime of sexual harassment. In 2012, São Paulo model Daniel Echaniz was eliminated from the game for “serious inappropriate behavior”. A later police investigation concluded that there was no foul play. How the victim found out about the attack A video published by the Spanish website El Confidencial reveals the dialogue between Big Brother producers and the victim when she learned that there was a video of the aggression. The dialogue takes place between the victim and a voice that spoke individually with the participants confined in the house. Victim: Will people see this? (The narration promises that the images will not be shown or shared in any way). Where is he? Voice: José María was permanently expelled. Victim: So I can’t even talk to him, right? Voice: No. We want you to know that the organization does not tolerate this type of behavior. Victim: Even I don’t tolerate it—how could I? What seems unfair is that I can’t talk to him because he hasn’t told me anything. Well, you know he didn’t tell me; you know very well. Voice: We want you to know that you have all our support, psychological and family. Victim: I don’t want to talk to a psychologist. I want to talk to my friends outside [na casa do Big Brother]. And I need you to assure me that this won’t be broadcast because obviously I’m going to talk about all of this. The Voice declines her request to see her housemates. Voice: For you and José María, this subject should not leave this room. She begs to be let out of the confessional room, but the door opens only when an executive producer and a psychologist come in to remove her from the set and take her to a nearby hotel.

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