In cases involving a person under 16, regardless of whether a judge found that the girl who received oral sex consented to the act or not, those who filmed the incident and those who later spread it have committed a crime. The Criminal Code also treats the act of recording images of minors who are exploited as a form of child pornography, with penalties ranging from one to five years in prison.
delete pictures
According to sources cited by El Periódico de Catalunya, part of the Prensa Ibérica group, investigators reviewed nightclub security footage to identify patrons who pulled out their phones to record the scene. Authorities are also contacting websites, companies, and operators to order the removal of those images from their platforms when possible.
The Interior Minister, Joan Ignasi Elena, stated yesterday that all available resources would be devoted to pressuring Twitter, a platform where several users offered to post the video in exchange for followers or even sold it for a small amount, to intervene and remove the material.
complex business
Sources reiterate that police efforts focus on identifying the individuals who recorded the girl that night and tracing how the crime began through the transmission chain. However, officials caution that proving who captured the footage can be challenging even with camera evidence.
Some may claim they simply took a selfie or claim they did not realize the recording would involve a minor. Analyzing the content on phones is a process that can implicate privacy rights and typically requires a court order to proceed.
disco silence
Police will, in all events, pursue those suspected of recording and sharing the material and then forward findings to the prosecutor and the judge overseeing the case. The scene has quieted from public discussion. A federation connected to Waka has requested that the venue not be assumed to be involved in wrongdoing and told this newspaper that the company does not wish to comment at this time.
The family of the boy argues that nightclub officials failed to intervene. Similarly, a member of parliament has placed the venue at the center of the police investigation and called for a thorough review to determine whether proper safety measures were in place for a venue open to young patrons.