A court in Spain has handed down the country's first conviction for sexual harassment at work, following the recent adoption of legislation defining the practice as a crime.

The judge, in Barcelona, found the chief of security at a shopping centre guilty of harassing his female subordinate with unwanted sexual advances.

It ordered him to pay five-thousand dollars in fines and compensation.

Trade unions and women's groups have welcomed the ruling, which they say sets an important precedent in the fight against sexual harrassment in Spain.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service