The last victim of a gang rape in Badalona was only 13 years old. It happened on Saturday afternoon, at half past six, in broad daylight, in an open field not far from the beach. The victim dated a minor he had met not even a week ago on Instagram. They stayed, had consensual sex, but friends of the minor began to appear in that place and claimed to have been invited by the former. On repeated occasions the minor said “enough” and asked them to stop. The victim was not able to specify the number of aggressors he came to have on top of him. But he estimates that there could have been seven or nine of them and that all of them actively participated in the rape.
The central sexual assault unit of the Mossos d’Esquadra has taken over the investigation and its specialists have been accompanying the minor since Saturday afternoon at such a complicated time for her. As the managers of the unit always explain, in these first moments what is fundamental is the well-being of the minor, not so much a statement that will only be taken when she is in a position to do so.
The victim was treated first by the paramedics of the Medical Emergency Service (EMS), who were alerted by the first Badalona Police patrols that approached the area, after a pedestrian called 112. Someone called 911 to report seeing some minors surrounding a girl and having sex with her.
The first patrol car to arrive caused a general escape from the assailants. Only the minor remained at the scene, who suffered an anxiety attack. The officers requested reinforcements from the station and stayed with the girl, who first alerted a sister and was then accompanied by her mother to the hospital.
Investigators collected several cell phones and items of clothing from the alleged assailants. One of them was able to record the attack. The minor explained that she met a young man she met on Instagram and that he agreed to have sexual relations, to which friends of his acquaintance gradually added. A story confirmed by two of the minors who were intercepted and identified by a patrol that carried out a first raid in the area, very close to the expansion works of the port of Badalona. These two minors admitted that they were “invited” by their friend, who assured them that she was his girlfriend.
The girl was treated in the Vall d’Hebron, where the sexual assault protocol for minors was activated. The center’s team of psychologists took charge of the victim, who was also visited by a forensic expert. The investigation has already been judicialized and it has been taken over by the head of court number 1 in Badalona, ​​who was on duty at the weekend. The magistrate has decreed secrecy of actions.
The case is a priority for UCAS investigators, who are making progress in reconstructing the facts and identifying all those involved, most of whom are minors, although there could be some who are of legal age. According to sources familiar with the investigation, all of them, of Spanish nationality, would be residents of the neighborhood of Sant Roc de Badalona.
Precisely two weeks ago, the head of the Mossos d’Esquadra’s general criminal investigation department, Commissioner Ramon Chachón, presented the data on sexual violence allegations in Catalonia, recorded in the first four months of the year. Data that sought to demystify the idea that in Catalonia there are sexual assaults by chemical submission and carried out by more than one perpetrator. In fact, group sexual assaults were 58, almost three per week, and represent 4% of sexual violence. In any case, the city of Badalona concentrates some of these cases because precisely in the Mà gic shopping center of the city, not far from the scene of this latest gang rape, four sexual assaults were reported.
