Local media is reporting that the minor is being held in a juvenile centre in Barcelona, pending his return to Ireland
Local media is reporting that the minor, who had been arrested for sexually assaulting the girl in Salou, is being held in a juvenile centre in Barcelona, pending his return to Ireland
According to ABC Cataluña, the minor and the girl, both of Irish nationality, were visiting the tourist town, just south of the city of Tarragona, when the alleged incident occurred, during the early hours of last Monday, at around 3am.
“Shortly afterwards, the girl who was allegedly attacked went to the Mossos police station in the town to file a complaint,” the network is reporting.
“According to the young Irish woman, she identified the bracelet that her attacker was wearing, marked with the name of the hotel where he was staying with his family, a piece of information that would have been key to his subsequent arrest.”
Quoting sources from the Mossos d’Escuadra, the police force in Catalonia, the alleged attacker “has made himself available to the Juvenile Prosecutor’s Office” and “is currently in custody” at the Can Llupià Educational Justice Centre.
After the arrest, the police force has been gathering information “through witnesses” and expect that “thanks to the agreements at European level” the minor will be made available to Irish authorities.
“Therefore, all the prosecution will be carried out in Ireland,” police sources have been quoted as saying.
Another Spanish media outlet, the Cronica Global, is reporting that the Mossos d’Esquadra arrested the 15-year-old Irish teenager in Salou (Tarragona) for allegedly raping a compatriot near the hotel where they were both staying.
“The victim, aged 18, alerted the authorities of the attack and informed the officers that the attacker was wearing the bracelet of the complex where she was also staying,” they are reporting.
“The details provided by the young woman led to the arrest of the alleged perpetrator a few hours after the incident. The arrest took place at the establishment where both the victim and the aggressor were spending a few days on holiday with their families.”
Following the arrest, the Tarragona Juvenile Prosecutor’s Office ordered the minor’s admission to the Can Llupià juvenile justice centre (Barcelona) as a precautionary measure, according to El País.
“Police sources have confirmed that the attack took place on Monday, September 2, after the two Irish tourists met in a pub in the coastal town,” Cronica Global states.
“Outside the premises, the minor allegedly attacked the young compatriot and left the place.
“The victim called 112 and was treated on the spot by the Mossos d’Esquadra and the health services , who collected several pieces of evidence of the sexual assault.
“Thanks to the description provided by the young woman, the officers from the Tarragona Investigation Unit and the Salou Citizen Security Unit were able to locate the minor. The suspect was arrested and admitted to the juvenile justice centre in Barcelona.”
Had he been released, “he would have returned to Ireland with his family on Thursday, September 5”, according to police sources.
Although the case is still ongoing, the victim was able to return to Ireland, it has been reported.
“The same sources point out that there are judicial mechanisms that could allow the case to be tried in the country of origin of the victim and the alleged aggressor,” Cronica Global added.
The regional Mossos d’Esquadra police force had earlier confirmed the September 2 arrest after news of the detention filtered out.
A spokesman for the force said: “I can confirm a minor has been arrested on suspicion of a sexual assault in Salou the night of September 1 to 2.
“The arrest was made on September 2. I am not in a position to offer any more information given the fact the suspect is a minor.”
A well-placed source close to the inquiry confirmed the youngster was Irish. The alleged victim has been described as Irish in local reports.
The pair are understood to have met in a pub in Salou during a night out.
The alleged sex attack, which happened around 3am on September 2, happened outside the unnamed nightspot.
Police are said to have been forced to work “round-the-clock” to make the arrest knowing the suspect was on holiday.
He was due to return to Ireland with his family three days after the alleged sex assault.
His alleged victim is believed to have returned to Ireland on September 4.