The former head of the National Police tries to discredit the audio of the alleged rape: "It was a cry for attention"

MadridThe Chief of the National Police accused of sexual assault He goes on the offensive. Two weeks after a female officer filed a complaint against him for alleged rape at his official residence, José Ángel González—who resigned when the judge summoned him to testify—is attempting to discredit the audio recording accompanying his defense. He argues that the recording "does not support" the complaint's account, but rather introduces elements that "demonstrate a very different relationship" between them: "It reveals a prior personal relationship of trust, in which complicity, intimate contact, and mutual verbal interaction are evident," states the document, which he has submitted. He argues that the conversation shows an "emotional dynamic" that is "incompatible" with the "alleged scenario of violence" described by the victim and maintains that the audio reveals there was no "scenario of pressure," but rather an "outburst of jealousy," a "clear demand for attention," and a "demand for exclusivity." Furthermore, she asserts that José Ángel González offered her permission to leave his home on two occasions: "You can leave. I've never used you. Go, go whenever you want. Come on, go."

The document recounts that the officer asked her to show him the calls she had made and wanted to know if she spoke with other women. She believes this demonstrates that it wasn't a "merely defensive attitude," but rather that she "controlled the situation." "At no point does the audio reveal a situation of fear, nor an inability to distance herself from my client, nor submission, but rather the supposed discomfort she feels because she doesn't occupy the place she desires in the personal life of the deputy operational director," she concludes.

The complaint, which ARA also accessed, stated that José Ángel González initiated a "physical approach of a sexual nature" that "was rejected" verbally, explicitly, categorically, and repeatedly by the victim. Now, the statement from the former head of the Spanish police incorporates some of the verbatim phrases from the recording provided by the plaintiff, which, in his opinion, contradict the account in the complaint and expressly acknowledge the prior relationship between them and the officer's feelings. According to the police officer, the complainant allegedly said: "I love you too much." "I don't kiss you like an idiot, I love you so much." "I've looked away because there's something that has me hooked on you." "I don't like to share my things. Do you know what I mean?" "Irreparable harm"

The lawyer for the former head of the National Police, José Carlos Velasco, also denounces the "serious harm" he believes José Ángel González has suffered since the lawsuit became public, as a consequence of the plaintiff's "strategy," with constant appearances by her lawyer, Jorge Piedrafita, in the media. He maintains that this "has taken the proceedings out of the courtroom and turned them into a continuous public narrative" and a "trial by media." "The reputational and personal damage resulting from the media exposure has already occurred and is irreparable," he protests. And he laments that all of this "aims to influence the perception" of the judge and society, placing the former Deputy Director of Operations in a situation of "unjustified disadvantage" and "completely violating" his presumption of innocence.

The fate of the victim

Furthermore, the plaintiff demands that the General Sub-Directorate of Human Resources and Personnel Division of the National Police—where the victim worked—prove whether the victim's assignment was "imposed against her will" or "requested, chosen, and accepted" by her within a "framework of free personal choice." The plaintiff considers it "essential" to clarify this because the complaint attributes "incriminating value" to this fact, linking it to an "alleged pressure tactic" by the then-Deputy Director of Operations. Specifically, the complaint alleged that José Ángel González attempted to coerce her by offering her any assignment she desired in exchange for her "silence," using a direct subordinate, Commissioner Óscar San Juan, to "exert pressure."