Brit walks free from court despite admitting raping fellow UK tourist after she passed out unconscious at Magaluf hotel

A British tourist who admitted to raping another UK holidaymaker at a Magaluf hotel after she fell unconscious has walked free. 

Billy John Chard was facing seven years behind bars as he stood trial in Palma de Mallorca this morning. 

But Chard instead received a two-year suspended sentence after confessing to the assault as part of a plea bargain. 

He will not have to serve his time if he pays his victim £5,000 in compensation and doesn't re-offend over the next two years. 

Mitigating circumstances taken into account included his alcohol and drug intoxication when he raped his victim in his room at the BH Mallorca Resort.

Chard assaulted the woman, who was 22 at the time, in July 2022. 

In a pre-trial indictment made public earlier this year, public prosecutors said: 'The accused man met the woman at a pool party and invited her up to the room at the hotel in Magaluf where he was staying.

'Once they were there, the woman, who had consumed a massive quantity of cocaine and vodka, suddenly lost consciousness and was unable to exercise her will to consent or to object.

'Taking advantage of this, the suspect took her to the shower and penetrated her from behind.

'Afterwards, and again taking advantage of her unconscious state, he moved to the bed and positioned himself on top of her and penetrated her once again.'

Chard is understood to have been arrested on July 18 2022 and was thought to remain in custody.

He arrived at court today with his lawyer, although it was not immediately clear when he had been released on bail ahead of his scheduled trial, which was due to last two days at a court in Palma. 

The BH Mallorca hotel was also the site where a group of men gang-raped an 18-year-old British tourist in August 2023. 

The seven Frenchmen and one Swiss national who confessed in March to the gang-rape of the teenager accepted prison sentences totalling just over 73 years.

They also struck plea bargain deals with prosecutors as their four-day trial was about to begin.

The group had been warned they faced being caged for more than 150 years if convicted as charged, before they decided to plead guilty as part of their deals.

Five of the confessed sex attackers were sentenced to either eleven or nine years in prison on March 9, depending on whether they had assaulted the victim once or more times.

All eight admitted to filming the sickening gang rape that scarred their victim for life, with two of them posting the horror footage on Snapchat.

After the incident, the BH Mallorca Resort said it was cooperating fully with the authorities and offered support to the unnamed holidaymaker.

A spokesman said at the time: 'The BH Mallorca Resort deeply regrets what has happened and would like to manifest its firm and forceful repudiation of the alleged sexual attack.

'The hotel also wants to demonstrate its solidarity with the alleged victim of this aggression.

'We are cooperating fully with the Civil Guard and its investigators in everything they consider to be necessary.'