Overview
- The complaint from Barcelona City Council relates to an alleged sexual assault tied to the Zona Franca fire station and was filed with the Barcelona prosecutor after the council first alerted the Fiscalía on June 10.
- Authorities say the woman woke disoriented inside the firefighter’s vehicle, called emergency services and was taken to Hospital Clínic, where staff activated the sexual assault protocol and evidence collection procedures.
- The firefighter has been suspended from duty with loss of pay and faces an internal disciplinary file while the Guardia Urbana has opened an 'información reservada' to investigate how the incident occurred.
- In a public statement on June 18, deputy mayor Albert Batlle detailed the case, said the council may join the case as a civil party and announced measures including perimeter cameras, a unit for internal affairs and tighter rules on alcohol in stations.
- No judicial decision has been made and the suspect retains the presumption of innocence, while the unfolding probes could bring criminal charges, administrative sanctions and lasting changes to oversight of Bombers de Barcelona.