Spanish police have arrested a 36-year-old Moroccan immigrant for the particularly gruesome alleged sexual assault of a vulnerable, autistic minor in the town of Dénia.
The case concerns an incident that allegedly took place on the afternoon of May 1 inside a pizzeria and kebab restaurant in the Spanish port town. According to reporting from Informacíon, the minor was visiting the establishment with her parents when the suspect struck up a conversation with the family, claiming to be Belgian and saying he had lived in the town for a decade.
Investigators allege that the man gained the family’s trust during the encounter and even provided them with his telephone number. A short time later, the girl went to the restroom, where police say the alleged assault took place.
According to the complaint, the minor later told investigators that she was sexually assaulted inside the restroom after encountering the suspect. She said that as she was attempting to leave to return to the table, the suspect grabbed her and began forcibly kissing her. Despite initially attempting to reject his advances, the suspect froze from fear as the Moroccan national pulled down her trousers and anally raped her while he took photos of the attack.
She did not immediately tell her family what had happened, later stating that she had been frightened and emotionally shocked by the incident.
Her father reportedly became concerned when she remained away for an unusually long time and asked whether she was feeling unwell. She initially said she had been sick, but after the family returned home, she disclosed what she alleged had happened.
Her parents then reported the matter to the authorities, and the minor was taken to Dénia Hospital for examination by a forensic doctor.
Officers identified the suspect, and the victim, together with several relatives, recognized him from photographs shown during the inquiry. Investigators also allege that after the incident, the suspect continued contacting the minor, sending messages inviting her to meet him again at his home.
Police examining the suspect’s mobile phone reportedly discovered two photographs taken inside the establishment’s restroom that had been placed in the device’s deleted files.
The investigation remains ongoing.
The alleged attack occurred during the same month as several other reported offenses by Moroccan immigrants in Spain. In Bilbao last month, a Moroccan migrant was accused of breaking a 74-year-old woman’s collarbone and putting her husband in a rear naked chokehold after he was asked to turn down his music inside a public elevator.
“You are a woman, and you cannot give me orders,” he told the elderly woman before launching into a frenzied attack.
The woman’s mobile phone was stolen and thrown into some bushes nearby to prevent her from immediately calling the authorities.
Meanwhile, in Mallorca, a 52-year-old Moroccan man was arrested on suspicion of attempted sexual assault after he allegedly stalked a 9-year-old girl for several days, monitored her routines, and waited for her outside school and tutoring sessions.
The suspect had reportedly traveled by bus to the Balearic capital to follow the child in the Pere Garau area of Palma. The child spotted the man in her neighborhood and alerted a friend of her mother. Several witnesses chased the man and caught up with him, allowing police time to arrive and arrest him.
After appearing before a judge, the man was released with a restraining order banning him from contacting the girl.
The same month, in the Catalan city of Lleida, a Moroccan migrant accused of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman on a street in Spain was released and told to stay 200 meters away from the victim after police allegedly found him lying on top of the victim with her pants down, touching her genitals.
Upon his arrest, he insisted the sexual act with the unconscious victim had been consensual.
