Overview
- Parents and pool staff reported that three girls aged 10 and 11 said two adolescents approached them and made unwanted touching under the water on Sunday evening at the Polideportivo de Palomeras in Vallecas.
- Lifeguards and a guardian at the pool activated the centre’s protocol and held the youths until two police patrols arrived to take statements from the victims and witnesses.
- Police identified the two suspected perpetrators and detained the 14-year-old, who was transferred to the Grupo de Menores of the juvenile police, while the 13-year-old was handed to his family because Spanish law deems him inimputable.
- Authorities have recorded victims’ statements and publicized specialist support channels including the 016 helpline and Fundación ANAR, and they say the case will follow juvenile procedures rather than the adult court system.
- The incident highlights how municipal sports centres use on-site safety protocols and how Spain’s age-of-responsibility rules shape police action, and it may prompt closer reviews of supervision and protection measures at public pools.