'Stolen babies' doctor walks free from Madrid court

A former gynaecologist who supplied infertile couples in Spain with stolen newborn babies was allowed to go free by a court in Madrid on Monday.

Eduardo Vela, who is now 85, was found guilty of abducting the babies, but could not be convicted because the crimes happened too long ago.

The illegal adoptions began during the years of the Franco dictatorship (1939-1975), when many children, likely thousands, were taken from families identified as Republican and given to families the regime believed were more deserving.

First person prosecuted for illegal adoptions

Vela is the first person to be prosecuted for the illegal adoptions, with his case focusing on 49-year old Inés Madrigal, who was abducted by Vela and then illegally adopted in 1969.

Madrigal brought the case against Vela in April 2012, but so much time had passed since the crime took place that it exceeded the statute of limitations.

Vela was not in court to hear the verdict, but Madrigal did attend, with her lawyer saying afterwards that she will appeal the ruling in Spain's Supreme Court.

Guilty of abduction, fraud and forging documents

Prosecutors had demanded an 11-year prison sentence for Vela, but the former doctor will remain free despite being found guilty of abduction, fraud and forging documents.

Spain's 'stolen babies' scandal began with newborns taken from left-wing opponents of the Franco regime, but later grew to include illegitimate babies and those from poor families.

Although the regime transitioned into a democracy in 1975, following Franco's death, the illegal adoptions nevertheless continued on into the late 1980s.