The Civil Guard has arrested a man in Alicante accused of being a serial cybersexual predator. He faces 36 charges related to the sexual freedom of minors under sixteen, including cyberbullying. The aggressor used social networks to gain the trust of minors and trick them into sending intimate images, posing as a minor himself.
The operation, named Achillea, has led to the identification of over twenty particularly vulnerable victims, aged between eight and sixteen, across Spain and abroad. The investigation began following a report from a victim residing in Gran Canaria.
During the search of the accused's home, a large quantity of storage devices with a total capacity of 18,000 gigabytes was seized. The analysis of these over 200 devices, including mobile phones, hard drives, computers, and USB drives, has uncovered numerous files of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Investigations suggest the detainee contacted victims for over a decade via messaging apps and social media. After gaining their trust through deception and emotional manipulation, even establishing fictitious romantic relationships, he managed to get the minors to record or photograph themselves in intimate situations and send him the files.
The accused, a native of Alicante, kept these files for personal sexual consumption, creating a private collection. The civil and instruction section of the Santa María de Guía court has ordered his pre-trial detention without bail.
