San Juan police officer raped 9-year-old girl and attacked another: the case of the "Motorbike Pervert"
Cristian Fernando Saavedra, a San Juan police officer, used his uniform to kidnap and sexually abuse minors in 2009. He was identified by his victims following an internal investigation.
The police officer who used his uniform to attack girls in San Juan
Cristian Fernando Saavedra was 26 years old, married, and worked as an officer with the San Juan Police. His uniform, his regulation firearm, and his status as an active officer allowed him to approach minors without raising suspicions.
The case, reconstructed by tiempodesanjuan.com in episode 65 of its podcast Historias del Crimen on Spotify, began on 2 April 2009 in Villa Timoteo Maradona, Capital. Saavedra intercepted two siblings returning from a shop and accused the 9-year-old girl of carrying stolen merchandise. Under the pretext of taking her to a police station, he forced her onto his motorbike and transported her to Camping del Pinar, where he beat and raped her.
During the return journey, the girl's uncle recognised her from another motorbike and set off in pursuit. The attacker pushed the child and fled. The victim managed to tell her relative what had happened and described the attacker by his police uniform, his firearm, and a dark motorbike with a puma decal on the petrol tank.
The second incident occurred on 8 October of that same year, in Chimbas. A 10-year-old girl was walking with her brother and other minors towards Escuela Blas Parera when a uniformed man emerged from among some trees. He showed her a rucksack and claimed it had just been stolen, asking her to accompany him on his motorbike. When the girl refused, he drew a firearm and pointed it at her chest. The screams and resistance of the children made him give up and escape.
The complaint filed at the 30th Police Station made it possible to link that attempted attack with the assault that occurred at El Pinar. Police Commissioner Antenor Olivera, then head of that station, and Chief Officer Gregorio Díaz launched an internal investigation aimed at identifying which officers of the force possessed dark motorbikes of American type.
The inquiries led to Saavedra: he owned a Motomel 125 of those characteristics and lived in Villa Obrera. On 23 October 2009 he was summoned to the police station along with his vehicle. That same morning the girl from Chimbas arrived accompanied by her mother and one of her brothers. Upon seeing him, the minors recognised him immediately and also identified the motorbike parked at the door. Saavedra was arrested on the spot.
Days later, the first victim and her uncle also pointed him out as the person responsible for the attack at El Pinar, confirming his identity before the authorities.
The podcast Historias del Crimen is produced by Walter Vilca, Agostina Montaño, and Adrián Caravajal, and publishes a new episode each week on Spotify.
Source: Google News PR — San Juan