The National Police in Madrid arrested a 37-year-old maths teacher on 13 October on suspicion of sexually abusing minors, according to a statement the force issued on 20 October. The man no longer worked at the Catholic school where he had taught. Investigators from the police unit for family and women's affairs (UFAM) opened the case after several pupils mentioned his behaviour to their current teachers. He is accused of three continuing counts of full sexual assault against a child under 16, three further counts of sexual assault against other minors, and child prostitution, child pornography and grooming, which means luring minors for sexual purposes.
Police say they have located nine victims aged 12 to 15 and have taken statements from all of them. Other possible victims have been identified, and the probe remains open, with no decision taken to rule out further charges. Reports differ on the total. El País, citing Cadena SER, says the teacher is accused of at least 10 cases of sexual assault, while police sources who spoke to laSexta said there were 12 victims, six of them involving alleged sexual assault and others linked to recordings. El Mundo reports that police suspect there could be at least twelve victims.
During a search of the teacher's home, carried out with judicial authorisation, officers seized mobile phones, laptops and storage devices. El Mundo reports that analysis of the material found recordings of some of the alleged assaults. According to RTVE, some of the assaults took place inside the school and others outside it.
After about 48 hours in police cells while the report was drawn up, the suspect was brought before a judge. The judge ordered him held in provisional prison without bail, a measure that took effect on 16 October. Provisional prison is not a conviction, and the charges have not yet been tested in court.
Lawyer Beatriz de Vicente, speaking on the programme Más Vale Tarde, argued that under the 2021 child protection law, the earlier school where a teacher worked must be investigated when a child is attacked by that teacher. She said every setting where the child spent time should be examined, especially when the suspect is a teacher.
“There may be hidden and silenced victims.”
She also said that if a school claims it knew nothing, investigators should still look into it, because victims may have stayed silent.
The school serves pupils from the second stage of early childhood education through to the baccalaureate and is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, according to El País. The religious order that runs it has six schools in Spain, two of them in Madrid. The school sits at the junction of Valverde and Puebla streets in the Malasaña area, close to the Gran Vía, according to eldiario.es.
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Police say a 37-year-old maths teacher, who no longer worked at the school, was arrested on 13 October and has been held in provisional prison since 16 October. Nine victims aged 12 to 15 have given statements so far.
AI text based on reports by LaSexta, EL MUNDO, eldiario.es and other publishers. Published .