Police find DNA of minor raped in Igualada in suspect's flat

BarcelonaPolice have found DNA samples of the minor raped in Igualada last November 1 in the flat where the 21-year-old suspect arrested last week lives. The tests carried out by forensics, reported by journalist Anna Punsí, have confirmed the authorship of the brutal attack, after which the girl needed a month and a half in hospital to recover from her injuries. "Our scientific police have collected possible evidence that could incriminate the possible perpetrator. With the indications we had and some evidence we have collected, we have concluded that the person in question is the perpetrator of the brutal attack," the chief commissioner of the Catalan police force, Josep Maria Estela, explained to Rac1. He is "optimistic" the police will find sufficient evidence for the judge to rule on the accused's guilt: "With the result of our work we will find some more evidence that make it easier for the judge".

During this past weekend, police have collected samples from the apartment where the man lived and after analysing them it has been confirmed that there were DNA traces belonging to the victim. When Estela was asked about the veracity of the information advanced by Punsí on social networks, the chief commissioner confirmed it and admitted that the "satisfaction is enormous" within the police force.

The young man had no relationship with the victim and already had a record for sexual offence. He was sent to prison last Saturday after the judge ruled remand and is being watched closely to avoid him committing suicide.

On Thursday, at six o'clock in the morning, police entered the young suspect's home at number 13 of Sant Sebastià street in Igualada. The police were seeking DNA evidence after an investigation which took over five months. The police have ruled out the existence of more attackers, a hypothesis they first considered due to the huge violence inflicted on the victim, who was unconscious when found by a truck driver. According to Estela, this weekend an inspection of the apartment was carried out in the presence of the suspect and his lawyer, to look for more evidence.

The Catalan police's Central Unit for Sexual Assaults (UCAS) handled the case with great discretion and gave the victim the time she needed to recover before talking to the police. This fact, added to the lack of witnesses and the scarcity of images from security cameras in the area – although some have been found – made the investigation difficult.