An alert from the United States embassy.
Warning about a sexual predator in Seville.
Advises all travelers to this city to take extra precautions
to avoid contact with this alleged sexual predator…
Now to the US, which issued a warning about a tour guide in Seville…
According to the US embassy,
its citizens are indeed being warned about the conduct
linked to alleged sexual assaults by this man.
A man from Seville who owns a travel agency.
Its website has all his details.
Including his first and last name.
I've done this for 22 years, and I've never seen an embassy,
from the US or another country, issue an alert of this type.
US WARNS OF SEXUAL OFFENDER IN SEVILLE
US WARNS OF TOUR GUIDE ACCUSED OF RAPE
US WARNS OF STUDENT SEXUAL PREDATOR IN SEVILLE
SEXUAL ABUSE - ALERT IN SEVILLE
IN THE US CROSSHAIRS FOR BEING A "SEXUAL PREDATOR"
Why does the US do this? It was a complex investigation.
The events occurred outside of Spain.
POLICE INVESTIGATE TOURISM ENREPRENEUR RAPE CLAIMS
Spain had no way to substantiate
some of the accusations made against him, which dated back several years.
As a result, this man remained free and continued operating.
WHY IS RAPE SUSPECT STILL FREE IN SEVILLE?
POLICE
THE COMPLAINANT IS THE VICTIM
KNOWN SUSPECT MANUEL BLANCO VELA
CRIMES AGAINST SEXUAL FREEDOM
ADDITION OF PSYCHOTROPIC SUBSTANCES TO BEVERAGES
ORDER TO DISMISS THE CASE
Gabrielle Vega contacts me in Spain.
She tells me what happened.
I have no doubt that her story is true.
I explained the legal process to her, the steps we had to take.
And also the complexity of the matter,
given that some of the events had occurred outside Spain.
The territory where they occurred isn't even within the European Union.
There was also the challenge of potential witnesses,
how the events had unfolded…
The complaint was filed in 2018.
It's been seven years.
Why has it taken so long to go to trial?
Look, this was a clear case.
The police reports are there. What are we waiting for?
The trial against the Seville tour guide
accused of having raped several American students begins.
He always followed the same pattern.
He took advantage of the fact that they were young girls abroad.
Investigators are convinced this could be a case of a sexual predator
because he may have actually assaulted many other women.
The defendant was a tour guide
and the owner of a travel company in Seville.
This is him entering the National Court this morning,
covering himself with an umbrella.
That day you find yourself at the end of the process,
yet still always uncertain
as to how the court will finally evaluate the evidence.
Good morning.
Let's begin the hearing. Counsel, please proceed.
In addition to Gabrielle, I filed charges
that I have maintained during the trial,
on behalf of two other women who were assaulted.
MAY 2017
SEXUAL ASSAULT
What occurred here were acts of exhibitionism,
touching, and provocation.
Amanda Gormsen was another one of the victims.
At the time, we supported her complaint.
What the court required from us was a power of attorney for litigation.
Before proceedings began, an appeal for reconsideration was filed
regarding the legal representation of Amanda Gormsen.
However, given that the trial was starting today,
we've already issued an order rejecting the appeal for reconsideration.
And we now inform you accordingly.
I filed the appeal, and it was dismissed.
The only thing it would have done is lead to a suspension, a debate,
which, in any case, would have resulted in further delays in the proceedings.
The criminal act doesn't disappear
just because the court has not accepted you as the accuser.
The accusation remains. The act was not erased.
The offense still stands,
and the possibility of filing a complaint continues.
It's time for the defendant to testify.
Please sit there in one of these first chairs,
and move the microphone close to you.
To encounter a person like this,
with that, shall we say, ease to commit crimes he has had…
We have had cases in Spain of, perhaps, a serial rapist.
But in that case, maybe there were four or five assaults.
Which is already a lot.
But in this case, it goes far beyond that. It is beyond comprehension.
As the defendant in this trial, you have the right not to plead guilty,
not to testify against yourself, or not testify at all.
I'd be really surprised if the case ended in a conviction.
What we have here is one person's testimony
against another's.
Do you wish to answer questions from the prosecutor,
the private prosecution, and the defense?
I have no problem answering the questions of the prosecutor,
my lawyer, and Your Honor, if you wish.
So you won't answer the private prosecution.
Correct.
That was to be expected, because it is common for the defendant
not to answer opposing counsel's questions.
The defense.
With your permission, Your Honor.
Manuel.
Regarding the trip to Morocco on November 2,
do you deny having had any kind of relationship with Gabrielle Vega?
No relationship at all.
Can you tell us what happened in that room?
I remember that I went with the three girls.
I saw them upstairs in the café.
There was a café-bar upstairs.
From there, we went to the room and ordered champagne, I think.
I drank a glass, and about one hour later, I left.
That's what happened.
You did not have any sexual interaction with any of the…?
Not at all.
No further questions, Your Honor.
This man was going to keep denying everything,
as he had up to the trial, where he continued denying it.
Very well. The state prosecutor has the floor.
Good afternoon.
Regarding Gabrielle's account,
apart from denying it,
you stated that you did not recognize Gabrielle's face or name.
Do you maintain that statement?
I learned about this through the Internet, in 20…
No. I'm not referring to the events.
I'm referring to what you said about not remembering her face or name,
and that you only saw them on social media.
You had never seen her before?
Through… As a result of the trip.
So you had, in fact, seen her.
Yes, but I… You see, I must've seen…
I probably had seen her, but I didn't remember her
when I saw her on TV saying that.
I know exactly who I've had relationships with,
and I haven't had any type of relationship with that person.
I saw him with the conviction
and, excuse the expression, cockiness,
of, "Nothing will happen to me because I did nothing."
But that is completely false because he did.
On trips, you travel with many people.
I can't remember all the faces of the people I meet.
At that time, in 2013,
you were the administrator of Voodoo Travel.
Voodoo Travel was the legal name for tax and accounting purposes.
And Discover Excursions is the commercial name.
You started out as an intern?
Yes. I started there in 2010, I think, as an intern.
Then I was an employee. Then the director.
And then they sold me the company.
We updated the website and made changes in the office as well.
The company was almost bankrupt.
Their finances weren't good.
And he turned it around by flooding universities with advertising.
He went to universities all over Spain, and even across Europe,
distributing posters and brochures,
promoting their services
and offering very competitive prices
to get people to book with him.
And when this happened in 2018, the company was doing very well.
We ended up closing in 2018 as a result of these girls' television appearances.
Did you have an unusual relationship
with your clients, taking them to your rooms?
Or how did that work?
I, personally, during the time I worked at that company,
I had some relationships with girls on trips, but it was always consensual.
You also stated that, on many occasions, clients fell asleep in your house
and nothing happened.
Let's see, clients didn't come to my house.
In my personal life,
am I not allowed to get involved with people? Just asking.
Rhetorical question. Please proceed, Prosecutor.
No further questions, Your Honor.
You may take a seat in the back.
Thank you.
Manuel Blanco maintained the same version of events,
asserting his complete innocence and having done nothing serious.
He has that right to lie, which I oppose.
There he is.
Think you're going to jail?
-Are you laughing? -I'm not.
-Anything to say to the victims? -No, sorry.
Why not?
Tell me. How is it possible that all of their statements are so similar?
-Don't touch me. -Stop.
I'm just talking to you.
If they don't know each other, how do all their statements match?
It's true that Gabrielle's testimony is very solid, consistent.
But she won't travel to Spain to testify. She'll do it by videoconference.
I've always been in favor of doing it in person.
But there was a problem.
It was coming face to face with the aggressor, which is distressing.
What worried her was the fact that he would be nearby.
The possibility of running into him in a hallway or somewhere terrified her.
If the victim gives a solid statement,
as in her testimony to NBC, the case could end in a conviction.
But if she doesn't, it will be much more difficult.
Respond to the questions from the prosecutor.
If it please Your Honor, can you tell the judges
what you remember from the night of November 2, 2013?
Her version of events has always been identical and consistent.
Did you have any kind of physical discomfort
at the time you woke up?
To clarify, when asked by the prosecutor
about where you felt pain, you referred to the anal area,
and then you mentioned the lower abdomen.
Were you referring to the vaginal area?
I found her forceful, emotional,
because she had to relive the situation.
And Gabrielle, well, I think she was very clear and precise
in her account and informing the court,
not only about how the events unfolded,
but also the emotional weight of that moment and of testifying in court.
Defense counsel.
When you returned to Spain,
did you go to a doctor to have the injuries you say you had examined?
No further questions.
Good afternoon, Gabrielle.
Have you been affected in your relationships with other men?
Thank you. No further questions, Your Honor.
Big day in the trial against the Seville tour guide
accused of sexually assaulting North American students
on the trips he organized.
We have two witnesses, the two girls who were with Gabrielle Vega
and Manuel Blanco in the Tangier hotel room where the events transpired.
NATIONAL COURT
All right. I'll give the floor to the prosecutor first.
Good afternoon.
With your permission, Your Honor.
You will testify about what you can remember
from a night during which you shared a hotel room in Tangier
with Gabrielle Vega.
And with Nicole as well.
This testimony could be key, depending on what the two of them say,
in determining whether Manuel Blanco is convicted or acquitted.
What do you remember from that night?
Do you remember playing any kind of sexual games
with the defendant that night?
When you say Manuel and Gabrielle were in the bathroom,
is it because you saw them enter it?
Do you remember if Ashley, you, and Manuel
went into the bathroom, and then Gabrielle came in?
Defense counsel.
Did you notice injuries on Gabrielle's knees the next morning?
When did you hear that Gabrielle said Manuel had raped her?
-No further questions. -Thank you.
We've finished with the testimony and can disconnect.
The case is submitted for judgment. You may leave.
These testimonies
partially contradict the account given by the main victim, Gabrielle Vega.
Their versions of events contrast with Gabrielle's.
The two girls have not provided any additional witnesses either.
If the court takes into account these witness testimonies,
it may end up benefitting the defendant.
It would be outrageous to me if this man,
and sorry to use this expression, were to get away scot-free.
After the testimony,
I contacted her. I wrote to her.
I told her how the trial had gone and shared my impressions,
and that we just had to wait for the ruling.
That I was confident it would result in a conviction.
And I also told her that in the event that Manuel Blanco were acquitted,
unless she decided otherwise, my position would be to appeal. acquitted,