Malaga mother tricks son's cyber stalker and helps police arrest him

The woman posed as the minor to gather evidence which she then passed to the officers investigating the child grooming case

Juan Cano

Malaga

Tuesday, 16 July 2024, 09:46

A Malaga mother who noticed that her son was having sexually explicit conversations on his Instagram with a stranger decided to check out the person’s real intentions before reporting the case.

To do this, she posed as the child and managed to trick a cyber stalker, who sent her sexual photos of himself and even proposed a date for sex. Thanks to the mother's action, the individual has been arrested and the police are now investigating whether there are more victims behind his online activities.

This type of crime is known by the police as "child grooming" or sexual cyberstalking of minors. It is a crime against sexual freedom and punishes with prison sentences those who contact a minor under 16 years of age via the internet, telephone or any other technology and propose a meeting to perform acts of a sexual nature defined in the penal code.

Complaint by the mother

In this case, the police investigation began in Malaga, where the family lives, following a complaint by the mother. A special minors unit of the Malaga provincial police station took charge of the case and took a statement from the mother, who explained that after discovering the sexual messages her son had received, she decided to hold conversations with the stranger who had sent them. In this context, she received an intimate photo and a proposal from the suspect for a date in Malaga to have sexual relations.

The officers focused on identifying the user of the social network used - Instagram - and with all the information gathered they were able to fully establish the identity of the user. The investigation culminated in the arrest of the alleged perpetrator, who was apprehended, along with five mobile phones, a desktop computer, laptop and an external memory stick. Investigations are now focusing on these devices in case there are more victims.

The police have taken advantage of this situation to launch a warning: "On the internet, not everyone is who they say they are, and if you don't trust strangers in the street, you shouldn't trust them on the internet either".

Gaining the friendship of a minor

Grooming, explained the provincial police station, is a set of actions carried out by an adult with the aim of gaining the friendship of a minor and getting them to send photographs and videos with sexual content, or to meet up to sexually abuse them. The contact is made through a friend request on a social network or through video games. If it is received from a stranger, it should be deleted and not accepted. "We should not get carried away by curiosity," insisted the police.

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