Spanish girl, 12, is gang-raped by five classmates at birthday party - but they only face a week's suspension because they are too young for criminal charges

By OLIVIA ALLHUSEN, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 15:01, 11 June 2026 | Updated: 15:03, 11 June 2026 Classmates accused of gang-raping a 12-year-old girl were handed just a week-long suspension because they are too young to be held criminally responsible. The girl was allegedly assaulted by five or six boys during a birthday party at a public venue outside their school in Burgos, Spain. The institute initially expelled the pupils accused of involvement but readmitted them five days later. Both the girl and the accused boys have since returned to school.  The boys are being kept separate from the rest of the class, along with several other classmates, in a measure designed to 'avoid their stigmatization'. Police say all those involved in the alleged assault are aged between 11 and 12, meaning they are too young to face charges and cannot be subjected to a criminal trial. Police have transferred the case to the Juvenile Prosecutor's Office, providing a report of the events and the suspects' information.  The incident was reported to police by the victim's family last month. Classmates accused of gang-raping a 12-year-old girl were handed just a week-long suspension because they are too young to be held criminally responsible (stock image) According to Diario de Burgos the girl suffered both physical and emotional trauma after the attack.  A few days after the incident she returned to school. The Provincial Directorate of Education of Burgos and the entire educational community in the region are aware of the incident. It comes as Spanish police are investigating several alleged sexual assaults on teenage girls who claim they were targeted on a cruise liner after having their drinks spiked. Up to ten girls aged 15 and 16 are so far understood to have gone to cops who have confirmed they are investigating. The Civil Guard in Barcelona where the ship docked on May 1 have taken statements from eight alleged victims and the Ertzaintza, the main police force for Spain's Basque Country, another two. The girls all go to the same school in the Basque Country and were on a trip organised privately on the unnamed cruise liner when the alleged sexual assaults occurred. No arrests have yet been made but sources close to the ongoing investigation confirmed today the suspects, adults who were not part of the girls' group, have been identified and located. Barcelona is understood to have been the start and finish point for the four-day Mediterranean cruise. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.