A 60-year-old man would approach kids who were playing soccer on the street or in the parks and entertain them by telling them they had a special talent and promising them that if they put themselves in his hands they would end up in prestigious teams. Behind that scout was a sexual predator who acted with the sole purpose of abusing minors. The Mossos d'Esquadra arrested him last Thursday in La Llagosta, according to the newspaper, and the Catalan police confirmed in a statement. The chosen children used to belong to vulnerable backgrounds, sometimes of immigrant origin. The judge on duty ordered his entry into prison last Saturday.
The arrested man, with the aim of giving a patina of truth to his imposture, contacted the relatives making them sign an authorization as they allowed him to pick them up at home and take care of their training. The detainee is accused of at least two sexual assaults due to touching, but the Mossos suspect that there could be more victims "who would have fallen for the false promises he made about their future in the world of football to end up sexually assaulting them," they say in the statement. .
The fake scout showed the parents various documents stating that he worked as a masseur, physiotherapist, soccer coach and personal trainer to overcome their reluctance and let him become their children's coach. The alleged sexual abuse was committed in a place that the arrestee had in La Llagosta.
The Mossos investigation was launched on August 4 after the head of a football club alerted the police that a man was posing as a scout for his sports entity to cajole minors. The club member had received a call from a family asking if they had a talent scout after a man had approached his two youngest sons promising a future as footballers at a prestigious club. The investigators also learned that there was another family that contacted the club asking about the same facts.
On August 23, the man was surprised by the Mossos d'Esquadra. He opened the door of the premises and was met by the police. Inside the compound was a minor under the age of 16 who had met the man a few weeks ago and who had been to the premises at least four times. According to what he declared to the police, the arrested man had abused him by touching him with the excuse of giving him a massage.
During a subsequent search by court order, investigators found two rooms with hundreds of books on children's massages and sports themes and bags full of children's clothing, including swimsuits, shorts and football boots. Inside his vehicle, inscriptions to football clubs and a multitude of pounds with notes and telephone numbers were found.
