The complaint of a teenager in Navarra has allowed the National Police to open an investigation and pull a thread through which they have found a sexual predator who allegedly raped two minors and committed 15 crimes of cyberbullying. The arrest took place in Donostia / San Sebastián, although the defendant moved through different provinces to arrange his appointments with minors whom he knew on the Internet.
The arrest is the result of an investigation by the Family and Women’s Care Unit of the Superior Headquarters of Navarra that has lasted for months. The trigger for the investigation was the complaint filed by an adolescent victim of sexual assault.
The young woman declared that the assailant, posing as a minor, had contacted her through social networks and, after a time of “innocent” conversations, he was extracting personal information from her to later propose to exchange photos with sexual content and, finally, arrange a meeting in which he tried to sexually assault her.
The suspect was identified and arrested, for the first time, at the end of 2022. After judicial authorization, his address was searched to verify if he had any pornographic files or other means of capturing images related to child pornography.
No data of interest was obtained from the analysis of the two laptops, a camera and various intervened photographic memories; however, the study of a mobile phone seized during the arrest provided data that suggested that the suspect could be and have been in contact with other minors. That is when the second phase of the investigation was opened.
The investigators analyzed the detainee’s conversations, both on the phone and on social networks, which made it possible to collect information from possible victims. In addition, years of interactions on social media profiles were examined to locate the affected minors. The investigation finally found that the now detainee could be behind two penetrative sexual assaults and 15 cases of cyberbullying of minors.
When the events occurred, the victims, who did not tell their parents anything, were under 16 years of age and, therefore, their possible consent lacked legal validity. In addition, in some cases there was a significant age difference with respect to the minors. The victims resided in different cities, some even located in provinces other than those of residence of the detainee, who did not hesitate to travel to facilitate meetings.
The suspect has now been arrested for the second time, in San Sebastián, while the police investigation remains open as it has not been ruled out that there are more victims.
The researchers point out that the pattern of behavior followed by the alleged perpetrator concludes in a very defined criminal type in this type of sexual offender, as indicated by the National Police.
First of all, he was trying to contact young girls through social networks. These interactions were carried out on profiles that she reached through acquaintances or people to whom she sent invitations.
When the minors added him to their acquaintances, he maintained innocent or naive conversations with them, without background, until he gained their trust and asked them for personal photographs and a mobile phone number to speak directly with them through instant messaging applications.
From there, interest was focused on obtaining images of naked adolescents. Finally, the suspect was looking for, presumably, meetings in person, regardless of the place of residence because he was always willing to move and meet.
