The case drew intense public scrutiny as it called into question the definition of rape under Spanish law. Five men, including a member of the Civil Guard and another of the Spanish Army from Seville, filmed themselves repeatedly attacking the woman in the vestibule of an apartment building. After their arrest and trial, the men were cleared of sexual aggression charges and instead found guilty of sexual abuse because the prosecution could not prove they employed violence to subjugate the victim.
Thousands took to the streets in Pamplona and Spain to manifest their disapproval of the verdict. In the early hours of 7 July, an year-old woman reported a rape to the Police of Pamplona, perpetrated by five young men. The woman, who was going to her car to sleep, was accompanied during a part of the journey by the group of men she had just met. She alleged that they pushed her into a doorway of a building. While some committed the crime, others recorded it on their mobile phones. The perpetrators shared the video of the attack in a WhatsApp group called "La Manada" "the wolfpack".
After the offence, a couple in the street approached the victim and called the local Pamplona police. Following an interview with the victim, at least three police officers started a search for the perpetrators at 3.
After tracking down the men of La Manada in the traditional bull running , the local and Navarrese police arrested them on the same day around noon in the city district of San Jorge.
The prosecution was represented by the public prosecutor, the victim, the City of Pamplona , and the Government of Navarre. The tribunal considered in the sentence that the victim's testimony was objectively credible, was consistent throughout the investigation, did not introduce "improbable elements" and did not have "spurious motives" to make the accusation.
