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A man of North African origin has been arrested in Spain, accused of groping a 10-year-old girl and attempting to kidnap another during the Festival of San Fermín in Pamplona.
The suspect was seen by witnesses sexually assaulting the first victim before forcibly carrying another child before he was stopped and questioned by passersby.
According to El Diario Vasco, the incidents occurred at around 10:40 p.m. on July 5 on Descalzos Street in the Navarrese capital.
The perpetrator has been placed in pre-trial detention without bail and faces charges of sexual assault against a minor under 16, illegal restraint, and bodily harm. He was reported by the mothers of the two victims, both 10 years old.
According to reports, the man picked up one of the girls and groped her. The complaint filed by the mother of the first girl alleged the man “touched the buttocks of a minor with lustful intent and groped her when she was near the elevators that go up to Descalzos Street.”
Shortly after, at the exit to the carnival, he was seen carrying another girl in his arms, who was visibly distressed and crying.
The second girl suffered back injuries during the incident. A medical report confirming her injuries was submitted as part of the complaint.
The man has no known address, claiming to live on the streets despite stating that he works in Navarra.
“Given the two victims are 10 years old, and the sentences that may apply, it is appropriate to order the detainee’s provisional, communicated, and unbailable detention,” the judge ruled at a provisional hearing, as cited by Estella Digital.
She noted that pre-trial detention was essential, not only due to the perpetrator’s elevated flight risk, but also given the nature of the offenses and the fact that the suspect is accused of reoffending immediately after the first incident.
“It is highly foreseeable that if the interested measure is not adopted, he may act in the same way with underage victims,” she added.
