The Civil Guard of San Bartolomé is investigating five people between the ages of 30 and 44 for coercing and threatening at least five minors to commit different criminal acts in order to destabilize the daily organization of the center.
The Civil Guard became aware of the events as a result of a complaint filed at the Main Post of San Bartolomé in which a minor user of the unaccompanied minor center of La Santa claimed to be being coerced by four educational assistants of the same to commit vandalism and disobey the internal regulations.
All this in order to destabilize coexistence and sabotage the work of the new management that promoted a series of changes in behaviors allowed to workers in the previous mandate, related to abusive practices with minors, making use of center resources without control or supervision, as well as the delegation of powers far beyond their professional capacity.
The investigated threatened the minors if they did not carry out the criminal acts with the arbitrary application of measures such as the limitation of outings, leisure activities and collection of weekly pay, in addition to making the minors believe that they could delay the processing of their legal residence documentation in Spain if they did not comply with their demands.
The Civil Guard of San Bartolomé was able to verify how at least four other minors had suffered this situation with respect to these workers. From this criminal incitement, various episodes of damage to the center's furniture could have derived, in the private vehicles of workers, mattress fires, robberies in the offices, thefts and threats that have been committed in the center during the last months.
Therefore, the Civil Guard of San Bartolomé proceeded to the formal investigation for crimes of coercion and threats against the four educational assistants, as well as the previous director, for allegedly having committed this type of abuse against minors during his management and being aware of them without having reported it to the authorities. The result of this investigation has been submitted through the appropriate procedures.
