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20,000€ for bullied child in Catral

The Ministry of Education was ordered by the High Court of Justice of the Valencian Community (TSJCV) to compensate the family of a youngster who acknowledged being bullied at the Catral Secondary School from 2020 to 2021 with €20,000.

According to the resolution, when the family of the student, who was 14 at the time, reported the school violence, the school denied that it was happening and even deemed the victim’s absences from class to be unwarranted, indicating that the management team of the school failed to implement procedures to address the incident.

Additionally, he used the COVID pandemic as an excuse for suspending the three students who had confessed to bullying when he eventually activated them to impose sanctions.

Only when psychological studies verified the effect the incidents had on the victim’s mental health did the educational authorities cease their inaction.

Threats, shoving, and insults through WhatsApp


According to the Administrative Litigation Chamber’s Section 4 order, the child has been the victim of “constant” bullying by three Catral Secondary School classmates since the start of the 2019–2020 academic year. They frequently spat slurs at the youngster, including “Chinese, Asian, fat, pig…” and instances where they assaulted her, stole her school supplies and concealed them, or chalk-stained her clothes. They once dumped her rucksack, which contained all of her books, into a puddle of water. She was frequently abused on social media and threatened via WhatsApp after school.

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A pattern of harassment


When the student’s family, led by lawyer Pablo Pérez Sola, discovered their daughter was being tormented in December 2019, just before the Christmas holidays, they reported the incident right away to the school, which promised to talk to the perpetrators.

Because they “did not observe a pattern of bullying behaviour towards the student,” the school’s management team insisted that no protocol be created for this circumstance, keeping the bullies in the victim’s classroom for the rest of that school year. According to the instructors, “no cases of bullying were observed when the parties were questioned, and due to the fact that once mediation was conducted, the situation ceased to exist—in their assessment.”

Students who were impacted were warned that “any sign, however small, of animosity would be severely punished and would involve the opening of a case to prevent situations of school violence and the corresponding sanctions.” The school’s administration and teaching staff also promised that “an intensive observation process was carried out by the guidance department.”

Report


The Ministry of Health’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Unit (USMIA) confirmed in a report that the affected individual had “anxiety-type symptoms secondary to bullying from the previous year” in October 2020, when the school year had begun with restrictions because of the pandemic. In response, the IES committed to creating a program for the minor’s gradual reintegration into the centre, where it had already acknowledged the bullying that it had denied.

The reintegration program was used to justify the student’s absences, as they had not been consistently attended since the start of the school year. But “after a period of time,” the IES concluded that they were unjustified, citing the Education Inspectorate’s and Social Services’ directives as justification.

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In-home educational support


The minor’s parents sent the school with additional paperwork in September 2021, including a second USMIA assessment that suggested the student get home-based educational treatment. The procedure for requesting this kind of help started, and the Generalitat (Catalan Government) finally approved the request.

The court’s decision to support the appellant family is actually based on this ruling: the centre thought that the protocols weren’t necessary to start, but nearly two academic years later, it activated this home care measure, thus it feels that the earlier protocols were required.

Psychiatric report


A 2022 psychiatric report that is part of the case file states that the youngster has mental diseases that are consistent with the diagnoses of “post-traumatic stress disorder” and “conversion disorder,” which have “a direct and causal relationship between the expert diagnoses and the bullying.”

According to the same report, “it would be highly advisable to proceed with intensive psychiatric and psychological treatment, for a period of time that, at this time, we cannot specify.” These psychological injuries are described as having “an irregular and persistent evolution that has barely improved with the prescribed treatments” and “producing a notable alteration in his capacity to lead an independent life.”

Appreciation


The Ministry of Education claims that because the lockdown brought on by the COVID outbreak began, the disciplinary actions and reprimands against the participants were halted, “so they were never filed.” Given that the family’s appeal had been submitted to the Legal Advisory Council prior to the proceedings reaching the TSJCV (High Court of Justice), the Ministry of Education itself accepted this.

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This process included the Generalitat taking responsibility for 5,000 euros in 2023 for not pursuing disciplinary action against juveniles who “had admitted responsibility for certain acts.”

Abandonment


The decision is “a public denunciation” of the negligence that “the administration often displays in these cases” when bullying takes place in educational institutions, according to attorney Pablo Pérez of the Pardo y Pérez Abogados company. In the absence of a response from the administration, which dismissed the case due to the statute of limitations, the family filed a criminal complaint with the Juvenile Prosecutor’s Office, seeking €56,000 in compensation in its appeal.


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Costa Blanca

Criminal group dedicated to burglary on farms in the Vega Baja dismantled

As part of Operation “Entrada25,” the Alicante Guardia Civil has dismantled a criminal organisation that was operating in the Vega Baja region and was responsible for burglaries on agricultural estates. Part of the stolen goods have been recovered and returned to their legitimate owners, but the total value of the stolen goods is estimated to exceed 40,000 euros. One individual has been apprehended, and two others are currently being investigated as a consequence of the investigation.

In late 2024, the Torrevieja Field Robbery Team initiated an investigation into the incident in response to numerous complaints. The perpetrators were observed by the investigators to be obtaining access to the facilities by forcing locks or doors, exploiting periods when no personnel were working, and stealing high-value products such as fertilisers, compost, and phytosanitary products.

The Torrevieja Field Robbery Team received assistance from the Seprona (National Police Service) in Guardamar del Segura, the Guardia Civil stations in Guardamar and Callosa de Segura, and the local police forces of Catral, Almoradí, Rafal, Cox, Granja de Rocamora, Algorfa, Benijófar, Formentera del Segura, Rojales, Benejúzar, Los Montesinos, and San Miguel de Salinas. The operation’s success was significantly influenced by the coordinated efforts of all divisions, as well as the investigation and analysis of evidence that was obtained. This led to the identification and location of the perpetrators and the discovery of some of the stolen material.

Additionally, the operation included numerous examinations of suspicious farms, warehouses, and vehicles, which were crucial in elucidating the events.

One of the suspects, a 35-year-old male, was apprehended as part of the established operations at the end of March. Subsequently, two additional males, aged 39 and 48, were identified and investigated. Five counts of burglary and an additional count of membership in a criminal organisation have been filed against each of the three individuals.

The Orihuela Court of Instruction issued an order for the detainee’s release, subject to the imposition of precautionary measures.

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The Civil Guard remains committed to the prevention of this form of crime and underscores the significance of public collaboration in the fight against agricultural theft.


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Costa Blanca

Swift Arrest of Dutch Fugitive in Benidorm

National Police

A 28-year-old Dutch fugitive who was hiding in Benidorm was identified by his evasive conduct. A man in the Marina municipality has been apprehended by National Police officers. The man was the subject of a European Arrest Warrant for Extradition (EAW) issued by the Dutch authorities.

The crime of illegally possessing a firearm in 2024 led to this individual’s nine-month imprisonment. In mid-April, the fugitive fled to Spain after failing to comply with the sentence. The requesting country issued a European Arrest Warrant, with four months remaining.

The fugitive was apprehended by officers from the Benidorm Citizen Security Brigade after they identified him as acting evasively in their presence and verified that he had a European arrest warrant issued.

In January 2024, the detainee was apprehended by the Dutch police while carrying a short firearm without a valid licence. As a result, he was sentenced to three years in pre-sentence prison for the actions he committed.

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Costa Blanca

Torrevieja Local Police remove e-scooters

The Local Police of Torrevieja have removed 22 e-scooters that were improperly parked on the promenade adjacent to Avenue de la Purísima.
The vehicles were reported for parking in a pedestrian zone in a manner that did not adhere to the current regulations.
Parking is not permitted in pedestrian areas, walkways or footpaths. The passage should also not be obstructed by scooters, which should be parked in approved areas.


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