An ambulance driver from an Argentine Navy hospital has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for drugging and assaulting three women in the Buenos Aires district of Coronel Rosales. Ángel Javier Panelo, 50, who worked at the Puerto Belgrano Naval Hospital, was convicted by a single-person court, Criminal Court 2, presided over by Mercedes Rico, for sexual assault with carnal access in one case, and for sexual assault with carnal access and theft in the other two. The crimes were investigated by prosecutor Diego Torres, who determined that the man, working as an ambulance driver on June 13, 2019, between September 25 and 26, 2020, and on September 23, 2023, used the same method: he drugged women's drinks to incapacitate them. According to reports, the three women stated they felt unwell after drinking, lost consciousness, and woke up showing signs of having been assaulted. In one case, the incident occurred at the man's house. As they were about to have dinner, he offered her an aperitif, but she chose to drink lemon water instead. It was after he offered her the glass of lemon water that she began to feel weak and dizzy, telling him she couldn't stand up and was going to lie down on a sofa in the house. From that moment, the woman remembered nothing until the next day, when she found herself naked in a bed with the man, who was assaulting her. Despite being unable to resist, the woman managed to dress as best she could, went to her home, and called for help, after which she was assisted by 911 medical personnel. According to Noticias Argentinas, during the trial held at the Bahía Blanca Courthouse, the ambulance driver himself confessed to committing the sexual assaults after administering incapacitating substances to the victims and stealing their belongings. During the final arguments, the prosecutor had requested a 22-year prison sentence, while the state defense, represented by Augusto Duprat, argued for a minimum sentence. The judge also valued the testimonies of the female victims, stating that they “constitute the cornerstone on which the accreditation of the sexual assaults brought to trial is based”.
