A man arrested in Girona for sharing videos of assaults between minors
The man was the administrator of a group with more than 164,000 followers on a social network.
BarcelonaIt is known ashappy slapping(happy slap, in English) and consists of recording physical assaults between minors and sharing them on social media. A man residing in Girona had made this violent practice a hobby: he was the administrator of a group on an instant messaging app with more than 164,000 followers and had the luxury of choosing which users could join. Without his authorization, the group could not be accessed and, therefore, the content considered cyberbullying could not be consumed.
This Thursday, however, the Civil Guard reported that this man had been arrested for a crime against moral integrity and another for bodily harm. Furthermore, they had permanently closed the group. The investigation into the case was being overseen by the Court of First Instance and Instruction No. 2 of Sanlúcar la Mayor (Seville).
The armed forces officers began investigating the arrested man following a complaint from a mother in Seville, who informed the police that her daughter had been assaulted and the video had been shared on a platform. To catch the account administrator, a Civil Guard officer infiltrated the application. This undercover computer agent not only obtained evidence of the crime being committed by this group, but also provided information to identify the profile behind which the now-detained man was hiding.
After identifying the suspect, the Civil Guard arrested him and searched his home. From there, officers seized various electronic devices and cell phones. After receiving judicial authorization, the Civil Guard closed the instant messaging channel where the arrested man was spreading the attacks among minors.
Keep evidence to report
The Civil Guard reminds that the dissemination of images that violate the dignity of persons, especially minors, is a crime punishable by law. If it is detected that a minor has been the victim of a recorded assault or the dissemination of degrading content, the armed force recommends preserving all digital evidence (screenshots, links, videos) and immediately bringing it to the competent authorities to file a complaint.
The Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) also reminds that the dissemination of data—especially sensitive content such as images, audio, or videos that allow the victim to be identified—without consent is considered a violation of personal data protection regulations.
