Four dinner monitors at the Colegio Público Rafael Altamira in El Campello (Alicante) have been detained on suspicion of the sexual abuse of children aged between four and five years.
An investigation began a week ago after one of the mothers complained to the police that the monitors had played a ‘game’ with some of the children which had ‘not been appreciated’ by the children themselves.
The four detainees, aged between 20 years and 30 years, are due to appear in court on Thursday. The Ministry of Education of the Valencian Community has has stated that the monitors were employed by an outside catering company, recruited by the parents of children at the school, and are therefore not government personnel.
Following the arrests, which occurred on Tuesday afternoon, the Federación Local de Asociaciones de Padres y Madres (AMPA) – the Federation of Local Parents Associations – appealed for calm until the matter has been fully investigated, advising people not to indulge in speculation before all the facts are known.