The third conviction imposed on Ahmed Tommouhi for rape offenses in Catalonia in November 1991 was annulled by the Supreme Court. The high court found that Tommouhi did not commit the crimes, based on biological evidence and retractions from the victims who initially identified him in a lineup.
The Supreme Court took into account two previous rulings that annulled convictions against Tommouhi in 1997 and 2023 for similar reasons. Although this time it did not have such strong evidence, like the previous retractions and scientific proof, it found similarities in the modus operandi of the crimes committed between November 5 and 10, 1991.
The offenses, which included burglaries and violent rapes of women in desolate areas, were carried out in a similar manner and involved the use of a Renault 5 vehicle. Furthermore, a report from the Civil Guard indicated that after the aforementioned events, there was another wave of rapes with the same modus operandi.
The judges considered the physical resemblance between Tommouhi and another man involved in similar crimes, as well as genetic evidence that did not link Tommouhi to the semen found on one of the victims. This, along with other data, generated reasonable doubts about the authorship of the crimes charged against the defendant.
The acquittal ruling concluded that there were gaps in the evidence that at one time supported Tommouhi's conviction, which weakened the incrimination of the accused. Ultimately, the Supreme Court declared null the conviction of more than 100 years in prison against Tommouhi, releasing him from the charges.
