WEBVTT

01:45.199 --> 01:48.680
An alert from the United States embassy.

01:48.759 --> 01:51.759
Warning about
a sexual predator in Seville.

01:51.839 --> 01:55.559
Advises all travelers
to this city to take extra precautions

01:55.640 --> 01:58.199
to avoid contact
with this alleged sexual predator…

01:58.280 --> 02:02.360
Now to the US, which issued
a warning about a tour guide in Seville…

02:02.440 --> 02:04.919
According to the US embassy,

02:05.000 --> 02:08.759
its citizens are indeed
being warned about the conduct

02:08.840 --> 02:11.400
linked to alleged sexual assaults
by this man.

02:11.480 --> 02:14.120
A man from Seville
who owns a travel agency.

02:14.200 --> 02:16.200
Its website has all his details.

02:16.280 --> 02:18.120
Including his first and last name.

03:21.679 --> 03:25.480
I've done this for 22 years,
and I've never seen an embassy,

03:25.560 --> 03:28.840
from the US or another country,
issue an alert of this type.

03:28.920 --> 03:30.840
US WARNS OF SEXUAL OFFENDER IN SEVILLE

03:30.920 --> 03:32.880
US WARNS OF TOUR GUIDE
ACCUSED OF RAPE

03:32.959 --> 03:35.320
US WARNS OF STUDENT
SEXUAL PREDATOR IN SEVILLE

03:35.399 --> 03:37.679
SEXUAL ABUSE - ALERT IN SEVILLE

03:37.760 --> 03:41.280
IN THE US CROSSHAIRS
FOR BEING A "SEXUAL PREDATOR"

03:54.119 --> 03:57.760
Why does the US
do this? It was a complex investigation.

03:57.840 --> 04:00.040
The events occurred outside of Spain.

04:00.119 --> 04:02.600
POLICE INVESTIGATE
TOURISM ENREPRENEUR RAPE CLAIMS

04:02.679 --> 04:05.280
Spain had no way to substantiate

04:05.359 --> 04:09.679
some of the accusations made against him,
which dated back several years.

04:09.760 --> 04:13.160
As a result, this man remained free
and continued operating.

09:36.680 --> 09:39.199
WHY IS RAPE SUSPECT STILL FREE IN SEVILLE?

10:17.240 --> 10:18.079
POLICE

10:18.160 --> 10:19.480
THE COMPLAINANT IS THE VICTIM

10:19.560 --> 10:21.240
KNOWN SUSPECT
MANUEL BLANCO VELA

10:21.320 --> 10:22.920
CRIMES AGAINST SEXUAL FREEDOM

10:23.640 --> 10:26.520
ADDITION OF PSYCHOTROPIC SUBSTANCES
TO BEVERAGES

10:31.520 --> 10:35.480
ORDER TO DISMISS THE CASE

12:52.920 --> 12:56.480
Gabrielle Vega contacts me in Spain.

12:56.560 --> 12:58.800
She tells me what happened.

12:58.880 --> 13:02.719
I have no doubt that her story is true.

13:04.400 --> 13:07.680
I explained the legal process to her,
the steps we had to take.

13:07.760 --> 13:10.880
And also the complexity of the matter,

13:10.959 --> 13:14.959
given that some of the events
had occurred outside Spain.

13:15.440 --> 13:20.440
The territory where they occurred
isn't even within the European Union.

13:20.520 --> 13:24.160
There was also the challenge
of potential witnesses,

13:24.240 --> 13:26.680
how the events had unfolded…

13:27.199 --> 13:29.719
The complaint was filed in 2018.

13:29.800 --> 13:31.760
It's been seven years.

13:31.839 --> 13:34.839
Why has it taken so long to go to trial?

13:34.920 --> 13:37.160
Look, this was a clear case.

13:37.240 --> 13:39.959
The police reports are there.
What are we waiting for?

15:24.760 --> 15:27.839
The trial against the Seville tour guide

15:27.920 --> 15:31.040
accused of having raped
several American students begins.

15:31.120 --> 15:32.640
He always followed the same pattern.

15:32.719 --> 15:36.400
He took advantage of the fact
that they were young girls abroad.

15:36.479 --> 15:40.599
Investigators are convinced this could be
a case of a sexual predator

15:40.680 --> 15:44.280
because he may have actually assaulted
many other women.

15:44.360 --> 15:45.760
The defendant was a tour guide

15:45.839 --> 15:48.280
and the owner
of a travel company in Seville.

15:50.599 --> 15:53.240
This is him entering
the National Court this morning,

15:53.319 --> 15:55.560
covering himself with an umbrella.

16:10.479 --> 16:14.959
That day you find yourself
at the end of the process,

16:15.040 --> 16:16.719
yet still always uncertain

16:16.800 --> 16:21.359
as to how the court
will finally evaluate the evidence.

16:38.400 --> 16:39.719
Good morning.

16:39.800 --> 16:43.920
Let's begin the hearing.
Counsel, please proceed.

16:44.000 --> 16:46.959
In addition to Gabrielle, I filed charges

16:47.040 --> 16:49.160
that I have maintained during the trial,

16:49.240 --> 16:52.319
on behalf of two other women
who were assaulted.

16:54.599 --> 16:55.439
MAY 2017

16:56.719 --> 16:59.560
SEXUAL ASSAULT

16:59.640 --> 17:03.199
What occurred here
were acts of exhibitionism,

17:03.280 --> 17:05.079
touching, and provocation.

17:17.480 --> 17:20.960
Amanda Gormsen
was another one of the victims.

17:26.960 --> 17:30.720
At the time, we supported her complaint.

17:32.000 --> 17:36.880
What the court required from us
was a power of attorney for litigation.

17:40.680 --> 17:46.159
Before proceedings began,
an appeal for reconsideration was filed

17:46.240 --> 17:49.399
regarding the legal representation
of Amanda Gormsen.

17:49.480 --> 17:53.399
However, given that the trial
was starting today,

17:53.480 --> 17:58.320
we've already issued an order
rejecting the appeal for reconsideration.

17:58.399 --> 18:02.600
And we now inform you accordingly.

18:02.680 --> 18:05.280
I filed the appeal, and it was dismissed.

18:05.360 --> 18:09.480
The only thing it would have done
is lead to a suspension, a debate,

18:09.560 --> 18:13.760
which, in any case, would have resulted
in further delays in the proceedings.

18:44.919 --> 18:47.240
The criminal act doesn't disappear

18:47.320 --> 18:50.560
just because the court
has not accepted you as the accuser.

18:50.640 --> 18:52.760
The accusation remains.
The act was not erased.

18:52.840 --> 18:54.320
The offense still stands,

18:54.399 --> 18:57.720
and the possibility
of filing a complaint continues.

19:16.040 --> 19:19.360
It's time for the defendant to testify.

19:19.960 --> 19:23.560
Please sit there
in one of these first chairs,

19:23.640 --> 19:26.280
and move the microphone close to you.

19:27.399 --> 19:30.080
To encounter a person like this,

19:30.159 --> 19:36.919
with that, shall we say,
ease to commit crimes he has had…

19:37.000 --> 19:40.800
We have had cases in Spain
of, perhaps, a serial rapist.

19:40.880 --> 19:43.800
But in that case,
maybe there were four or five assaults.

19:43.880 --> 19:45.840
Which is already a lot.

19:45.919 --> 19:49.840
But in this case, it goes far beyond that.
It is beyond comprehension.

19:52.919 --> 19:57.720
As the defendant in this trial,
you have the right not to plead guilty,

19:57.800 --> 20:01.600
not to testify against yourself,
or not testify at all.

20:03.760 --> 20:10.320
I'd be really surprised
if the case ended in a conviction.

20:11.560 --> 20:14.840
What we have here
is one person's testimony

20:14.919 --> 20:16.240
against another's.

20:16.320 --> 20:19.000
Do you wish to answer questions
from the prosecutor,

20:19.080 --> 20:20.960
the private prosecution, and the defense?

20:21.040 --> 20:24.360
I have no problem answering
the questions of the prosecutor,

20:24.440 --> 20:26.640
my lawyer, and Your Honor, if you wish.

20:26.720 --> 20:29.200
So you won't answer
the private prosecution.

20:29.280 --> 20:30.159
Correct.

20:30.240 --> 20:33.399
That was to be expected,
because it is common for the defendant

20:33.480 --> 20:35.919
not to answer
opposing counsel's questions.

20:53.720 --> 20:55.600
The defense.

20:55.679 --> 20:57.440
With your permission, Your Honor.

20:58.640 --> 20:59.480
Manuel.

21:00.080 --> 21:03.560
Regarding the trip to Morocco
on November 2,

21:03.640 --> 21:07.919
do you deny having had any kind
of relationship with Gabrielle Vega?

21:08.000 --> 21:09.440
No relationship at all.

21:09.520 --> 21:12.040
Can you tell us
what happened in that room?

21:13.120 --> 21:17.040
I remember that I went
with the three girls.

21:17.120 --> 21:19.880
I saw them upstairs in the café.

21:23.520 --> 21:25.840
There was a café-bar upstairs.

21:25.919 --> 21:29.560
From there, we went to the room
and ordered champagne, I think.

21:29.640 --> 21:33.240
I drank a glass,
and about one hour later, I left.

21:33.320 --> 21:34.960
That's what happened.

21:35.040 --> 21:38.800
You did not have any sexual interaction
with any of the…?

21:38.880 --> 21:40.040
Not at all.

21:41.679 --> 21:43.640
No further questions, Your Honor.

21:43.720 --> 21:47.080
This man was going
to keep denying everything,

21:47.159 --> 21:50.480
as he had up to the trial,
where he continued denying it.

21:50.560 --> 21:53.919
Very well.
The state prosecutor has the floor.

21:54.000 --> 21:55.280
Good afternoon.

21:55.360 --> 21:58.640
Regarding Gabrielle's account,

21:58.720 --> 22:02.679
apart from denying it,

22:02.760 --> 22:08.560
you stated that you did not recognize
Gabrielle's face or name.

22:08.640 --> 22:10.840
Do you maintain that statement?

22:10.919 --> 22:15.480
I learned about this
through the Internet, in 20…

22:15.560 --> 22:17.679
No. I'm not referring to the events.

22:17.760 --> 22:21.880
I'm referring to what you said
about not remembering her face or name,

22:21.960 --> 22:24.960
and that you only saw them
on social media.

22:25.040 --> 22:27.240
You had never seen her before?

22:27.320 --> 22:30.080
Through… As a result of the trip.

22:30.159 --> 22:32.120
So you had, in fact, seen her.

22:32.200 --> 22:34.120
Yes, but I… You see, I must've seen…

22:34.200 --> 22:37.000
I probably had seen her,
but I didn't remember her

22:37.080 --> 22:38.760
when I saw her on TV saying that.

22:38.840 --> 22:41.320
I know exactly
who I've had relationships with,

22:41.399 --> 22:44.120
and I haven't had any type of relationship
with that person.

22:45.240 --> 22:48.159
I saw him with the conviction

22:48.240 --> 22:50.159
and, excuse the expression, cockiness,

22:50.240 --> 22:52.919
of, "Nothing will happen to me
because I did nothing."

22:53.000 --> 22:55.439
But that is completely false
because he did.

22:55.520 --> 22:58.560
On trips, you travel with many people.

22:58.640 --> 23:01.600
I can't remember
all the faces of the people I meet.

23:01.679 --> 23:05.960
At that time, in 2013,

23:06.040 --> 23:09.640
you were the administrator
of Voodoo Travel.

23:09.720 --> 23:13.520
Voodoo Travel was the legal name
for tax and accounting purposes.

23:13.600 --> 23:16.679
And Discover Excursions
is the commercial name.

23:17.240 --> 23:19.000
You started out as an intern?

23:19.080 --> 23:24.800
Yes. I started there in 2010,
I think, as an intern.

23:24.880 --> 23:28.399
Then I was an employee. Then the director.

23:28.480 --> 23:31.159
And then they sold me the company.

23:31.240 --> 23:34.960
We updated the website
and made changes in the office as well.

23:35.439 --> 23:38.280
The company was almost bankrupt.

23:38.360 --> 23:40.159
Their finances weren't good.

23:40.240 --> 23:45.600
And he turned it around
by flooding universities with advertising.

23:45.679 --> 23:49.640
He went to universities all over Spain,
and even across Europe,

23:49.720 --> 23:53.520
distributing posters and brochures,

23:53.600 --> 23:55.640
promoting their services

23:55.720 --> 23:58.439
and offering very competitive prices

23:58.520 --> 24:00.120
to get people to book with him.

24:00.880 --> 24:05.600
And when this happened in 2018,
the company was doing very well.

24:05.679 --> 24:11.240
We ended up closing in 2018 as a result
of these girls' television appearances.

24:11.320 --> 24:14.240
Did you have an unusual relationship

24:14.320 --> 24:18.040
with your clients,
taking them to your rooms?

24:18.120 --> 24:19.560
Or how did that work?

24:19.640 --> 24:23.200
I, personally,
during the time I worked at that company,

24:23.280 --> 24:28.840
I had some relationships with girls
on trips, but it was always consensual.

24:29.600 --> 24:34.600
You also stated that, on many occasions,
clients fell asleep in your house

24:34.679 --> 24:36.439
and nothing happened.

24:37.040 --> 24:39.679
Let's see, clients didn't come
to my house.

24:39.760 --> 24:41.360
In my personal life,

24:41.439 --> 24:44.439
am I not allowed to get involved
with people? Just asking.

24:46.600 --> 24:50.000
Rhetorical question.
Please proceed, Prosecutor.

24:51.000 --> 24:52.919
No further questions, Your Honor.

24:53.000 --> 24:55.000
You may take a seat in the back.

24:55.080 --> 24:56.120
Thank you.

25:24.480 --> 25:27.679
Manuel Blanco maintained
the same version of events,

25:27.760 --> 25:30.880
asserting his complete innocence
and having done nothing serious.

25:30.960 --> 25:35.800
He has that right to lie, which I oppose.

25:35.880 --> 25:37.159
There he is.

25:38.080 --> 25:39.120
There he is.

25:43.199 --> 25:45.960
Think you're going to jail?

25:46.040 --> 25:47.600
-Are you laughing?
-I'm not.

25:47.679 --> 25:49.840
-Anything to say to the victims?
-No, sorry.

25:49.919 --> 25:50.960
Why not?

25:51.040 --> 25:55.480
Tell me. How is it possible that all
of their statements are so similar?

25:55.560 --> 25:57.320
-Don't touch me.
-Stop.

25:57.399 --> 25:58.800
I'm just talking to you.

25:58.880 --> 26:03.439
If they don't know each other,
how do all their statements match?

27:22.840 --> 27:26.720
It's true that Gabrielle's
testimony is very solid, consistent.

27:26.800 --> 27:31.320
But she won't travel to Spain to testify.
She'll do it by videoconference.

27:36.520 --> 27:39.439
I've always been in favor
of doing it in person.

27:39.520 --> 27:40.720
But there was a problem.

27:40.800 --> 27:44.320
It was coming face to face
with the aggressor, which is distressing.

27:44.399 --> 27:48.679
What worried her
was the fact that he would be nearby.

27:48.760 --> 27:52.960
The possibility of running into him
in a hallway or somewhere terrified her.

28:05.159 --> 28:07.919
If the victim gives a solid statement,

28:08.000 --> 28:11.960
as in her testimony to NBC,
the case could end in a conviction.

28:12.040 --> 28:16.159
But if she doesn't,
it will be much more difficult.

28:21.560 --> 28:25.120
Respond
to the questions from the prosecutor.

28:26.080 --> 28:29.399
If it please Your Honor,
can you tell the judges

28:29.480 --> 28:35.679
what you remember
from the night of November 2, 2013?

30:11.520 --> 30:16.199
Her version of events
has always been identical and consistent.

30:16.280 --> 30:20.199
Did you have any kind
of physical discomfort

30:20.280 --> 30:23.720
at the time you woke up?

30:41.639 --> 30:44.600
To clarify, when asked by the prosecutor

30:44.679 --> 30:47.639
about where you felt pain,
you referred to the anal area,

30:47.720 --> 30:49.840
and then you mentioned the lower abdomen.

30:49.919 --> 30:52.159
Were you referring to the vaginal area?

30:53.240 --> 30:55.800
I found her forceful, emotional,

30:55.879 --> 30:57.879
because she had to relive the situation.

30:57.959 --> 31:02.000
And Gabrielle, well,
I think she was very clear and precise

31:02.080 --> 31:04.600
in her account and informing the court,

31:04.679 --> 31:07.760
not only about how the events unfolded,

31:07.840 --> 31:11.919
but also the emotional weight
of that moment and of testifying in court.

31:12.760 --> 31:14.000
Defense counsel.

31:15.120 --> 31:16.879
When you returned to Spain,

31:16.959 --> 31:20.919
did you go to a doctor to have
the injuries you say you had examined?

31:37.520 --> 31:39.040
No further questions.

31:39.120 --> 31:40.679
Good afternoon, Gabrielle.

31:40.760 --> 31:45.480
Have you been affected
in your relationships with other men?

32:05.959 --> 32:08.800
Thank you.
No further questions, Your Honor.

33:55.800 --> 33:58.800
Big day in the trial
against the Seville tour guide

33:58.879 --> 34:01.520
accused of sexually assaulting
North American students

34:01.600 --> 34:03.120
on the trips he organized.

34:04.360 --> 34:08.199
We have two witnesses,
the two girls who were with Gabrielle Vega

34:08.279 --> 34:11.759
and Manuel Blanco in the Tangier
hotel room where the events transpired.

34:23.600 --> 34:24.679
NATIONAL COURT

34:28.360 --> 34:33.799
All right. I'll give
the floor to the prosecutor first.

34:33.880 --> 34:35.080
Good afternoon.

34:35.159 --> 34:37.159
With your permission, Your Honor.

34:37.239 --> 34:40.839
You will testify
about what you can remember

34:40.920 --> 34:46.319
from a night during which you shared
a hotel room in Tangier

34:46.400 --> 34:48.600
with Gabrielle Vega.

34:50.080 --> 34:51.719
And with Nicole as well.

34:56.319 --> 35:00.680
This testimony could be key,
depending on what the two of them say,

35:00.760 --> 35:04.120
in determining whether Manuel Blanco
is convicted or acquitted.

36:27.360 --> 36:30.200
What do you remember from that night?

36:53.640 --> 36:59.080
Do you remember playing
any kind of sexual games

36:59.160 --> 37:01.600
with the defendant that night?

37:34.920 --> 37:40.680
When you say
Manuel and Gabrielle were in the bathroom,

37:40.760 --> 37:44.400
is it because you saw them enter it?

37:52.799 --> 37:56.520
Do you remember if Ashley, you, and Manuel

37:56.600 --> 38:00.359
went into the bathroom,
and then Gabrielle came in?

38:12.600 --> 38:13.799
Defense counsel.

38:16.080 --> 38:21.319
Did you notice injuries
on Gabrielle's knees the next morning?

38:25.280 --> 38:29.560
When did you hear
that Gabrielle said Manuel had raped her?

38:38.920 --> 38:42.080
-No further questions.
-Thank you.

38:42.160 --> 38:47.560
We've finished with the testimony
and can disconnect.

38:49.040 --> 38:51.680
The case is submitted for judgment.
You may leave.

38:53.880 --> 38:55.680
These testimonies

38:55.760 --> 39:01.120
partially contradict the account given
by the main victim, Gabrielle Vega.

39:01.799 --> 39:04.839
Their versions of events
contrast with Gabrielle's.

39:05.359 --> 39:08.760
The two girls have not provided
any additional witnesses either.

39:08.839 --> 39:13.440
If the court takes into account
these witness testimonies,

39:13.520 --> 39:19.760
it may end up benefitting the defendant.

39:19.839 --> 39:22.440
It would be outrageous to me if this man,

39:22.520 --> 39:25.760
and sorry to use this expression,
were to get away scot-free.

40:49.400 --> 40:51.480
After the testimony,

40:52.240 --> 40:54.600
I contacted her. I wrote to her.

40:54.680 --> 40:57.839
I told her how the trial had gone
and shared my impressions,

40:57.920 --> 41:00.359
and that we just had to wait
for the ruling.

41:00.440 --> 41:03.160
That I was confident
it would result in a conviction.

41:03.240 --> 41:08.480
And I also told her that in the event
that Manuel Blanco were acquitted,

41:08.560 --> 41:13.200
unless she decided otherwise,
my position would be to appeal.
acquitted,