Crime
Ceuta courts investigate three sexual assaults migrants who arrived on 29-30 July allegedly committed
The victims are all women, two of them underage, who were also entering the city at the time of the migrant influx
The courts in Ceuta have investigated three cases of sexual assault attributed to Moroccan migrants who arrived in the Spanish territory during the mass influx on 30 July ... .
Two of those under investigation are in custody and the third will be deported to Morocco, according to a statement the High Court of Justice of Andalucía (TSJA) issued on Wednesday.
The victims are migrant women who had also crossed the border that day. Two of them are minors.
The first incident concerns sexual assault on a woman of legal age. The judge ordered the detainee's deportation to Morocco.
The second incident, which was resolved on Tuesday, is of a more serious nature. The suspect allegedly committed a sexual assault with penetration involving a minor. He also reportedly forced her to sell drugs.
The judge ordered his remand in custody, in a shared cell and without bail, for the offences against sexual freedom and public health.
The third suspect allegedly touched another underage girl. He appeared before the presiding judge, who ordered his remand in custody, on Wednesday.
The judges have taken "pre-recorded statements"from the victims and witnesses in all three cases. This procedure allows their testimony to be recorded so that they do not have to repeat it during the trial. This precaution is particularly important when the complainants are minors or are in a vulnerable situation.
In addition, the courts are also investigating an immigrant who reportedly broke into a local woman's home and got into bed with her, wearing only his underpants. The investigating court ordered his deportation for the offence of breaking and entering.
The judicial proceedings arising from the migration crisis extend far beyond these four incidents.
On Wednesday, the court also ordered pre-trial detention for five individuals arrested on suspicion of assaulting law enforcement officers. Another detainee was remanded in custody for causing grievous bodily harm and a seventh for drug dealing.
Two further suspects will be deported to Morocco: one for indecent assault reported by an adult woman and the other for breaking into a private residence.
The Ministry of the Interior has put the number of people who reached Ceuta at at least 72,000. The influx came by land and sea, mainly via the Tarajal breakwater and the beaches near the border.
A large number of the new arrivals subsequently returned to Morocco or were sent back, although several thousand remain in Ceuta. Their presence has made it necessary to set up emergency accommodation and step up police, health, welfare and judicial services.
Among those who crossed the border were an unconfirmed number of minors, whose return requires an individualised procedure and specific safeguards.
The pressure on the courts has increased as the National Police and the Guardia Civil have been making arrests in connection with the incidents since 30 July. The latest court rulings also coincide with the extraordinary security measures in response to calls circulating on social media for another mass immigration on 15 August.
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