Teacher Acquitted of Sexual Assault

A court has acquitted a physical education teacher at a school in Finestrat (Alicante) who was accused of molesting five girls aged between 6 and 10 years old.

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The tenth section of the Audiencia de Alicante justifies its decision on “the inadequacy of the statement of victims, excess generality and lack of specificity”.

Prosecutors asked for 30 years in prison and a ban on exercising activities related to education of children over 6 years. The prosecution argued that the defendant, who is 59 years old, had made several “attacks against sexual inviolability” of five girls attending classes during the school year of 2014. Specifically, the indictment the prosecution gathered that he had fondled and groped thighs, buttocks and breasts of some of the girls and had kissed and embraced them several times. The trial for these events was held in closed sessions to preserve the privacy of minors.

The teacher had admitted to “possible own body contact” but only to correct their movements in the practice of sport. The teacher also admitted to “some gesture of affection”, but always “within the limits acceptable socially, in the sense of  “a certain relationship of warmth and closeness between teachers and students.”

The judges believe that the testimonies of girls do not deny that version, they are very general and “may well tell absolutely standardised behaviours in the relationship between children and teachers with affection devoid of sexual connotations”. On the other hand, the judgment at the Supreme Court also highlights the lack of evidence.