Nine students from Les Corts High School are taking their former physical education teacher to court: "He was messing with us."

BarcelonaVA was a physical education teacher at Les Corts Secondary School for less than three months, at the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year. During that time period, the comments and groping that have led to complaints from nine students are believed to have occurred. All were in the first year of compulsory secondary school except for one, who was in the third year. The case is being tried this week in the Barcelona Court of Appeals, and the man faces a request for 45 years in prison from the Prosecutor's Office for continuous sexual abuse of minors. He, however, has completely exonerated himself with a statement full of the words "never," "false," and "absolutely false."

This Tuesday, the girls, who at the time were between 11 and 12 years old, also testified at the trial, except for the one who was in the third year and was older. They agreed that the teacher had "a very close relationship" and was "excessively affectionate" with the girls. "He touched us in places he shouldn't have," one of the girls summarized. "He made comments like I was hot or really pretty," said another of the complainants. They also recalled how he would comment on the clothes they were wearing, especially their gym leggings: "They're so tight, how sexy!" or "What a nice ass you have."

Among the incidents the girls reported, they noted that the man often hugged them and sometimes took advantage of the situation to put his hands on their buttocks or breasts. They explained that this occurred in the school's hallways, in the classroom, or even in the playground, so even if they were in a secluded area or where there weren't many people, the complainants were able to see him do the same to other classmates. Other times, the touching occurred when they went to the room where the sports equipment was stored to pick it up or retrieve it.

"I watched while we changed"

It all happened during the first months of the 2020-2021 school year, when many measures were still needed to prevent coronavirus infections. Because of this, the students didn't change in the locker room but in the restrooms. The girls described how the restrooms had a shutter that connected to the hallway, and they say they had caught the man watching them from outside more than once. "We saw him in the hallway looking through the window while we were changing. We closed it, and he opened it again to tell us to get out," one recalled.

For the first-year secondary school students, this was their first year at the school, and they explained that many of them didn't know each other well, but they eventually explained to each other what was happening with the teacher. "At first, I didn't give it much thought; I thought he was exaggerating; I didn't have any friends in class, and I was embarrassed," said one of the girls. Finally, they informed the head of studies and wrote a letter of complaint. The girls' parents, who learned what was happening through their daughters, also testified this Tuesday. The school then opened disciplinary proceedings against the teacher, and he was suspended from work.