The Provincial Court of Málaga has confirmed the sentence against a worker at a school in Torremolinos for a minor offence of harassment. The man, who worked as a school mentor, made sexist comments and touched a 15-year-old student in front of her classmates.
The Provincial Court of Málaga has confirmed the sentence against a worker at a school in Torremolinos for a minor offence of harassment. The events occurred in June 2024, when the accused, who was acting as a school mentor within the Fénix programme, entered a Technology classroom and, in front of other students, held a 15-year-old girl by the shoulder, looked her up and down, and commented: "But she looks very good."
The court has found that this behaviour placed the victim in a "uncomfortable and humiliating" situation, causing her "deep distress and discomfort". The ruling, which this newspaper has accessed, reduces the penalty initially imposed by the Court of Instruction number 3 of Torremolinos, considering it disproportionate. Ultimately, the convicted man will have to serve 15 days of permanent location and a prohibition of approaching and communicating with the minor for two months and fifteen days, in addition to paying compensation of 400 euros for moral damages.
According to the ruling, the accused was a maintenance employee at the centre and a regional mentor of the Fénix programme, a support programme for teachers in conflict resolution. It was common for him to enter classrooms to provide that assistance. On the day of the events, around 11:30, a student pointed out that one of the girls was his girlfriend, at which point the mentor asked another student: "Do you like Paula?" (fictitious name). In response to the negative answer, he held the minor by the shoulder, observed her from head to toe, and after turning her to look at her body, made the derogatory comment.
The court highlights the "seriousness of the attack carried out by the accused against the dignity" of the student, by turning her into an object of comments about her physique and non-consensual physical contact in front of her classmates. Although the sentence is reduced as it was an isolated incident with no prior history, the judges emphasize that the victim's status as a minor and the school context justify a criminal consequence.
During the trial, the teacher present in the classroom stated that he did not observe anything unusual. However, the Court considers that his testimony does not discredit the version of the minors, as the teacher was attending to other students in a Technology workshop, with constant noise and movement, making it difficult for him to notice what happened. Similarly, it downplays the testimonies that described the accused as an "exemplary worker", clarifying that the procedure judged a specific behaviour and not his professional trajectory.
The ruling is now final and the convicted man must serve the imposed sentence. This case has raised concerns among families at the educational centre in Torremolinos, who are calling for more protective measures for minors. The parents' association has requested the school to strengthen its protocols for action in cases of harassment or humiliation.
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