'Lift rapist' arrested in Granada for reoffending after 23 years in prison
National Police arrested the man known as the 'lift rapist' of Granada, sentenced in 2003 for 15 rapes, now accused of a new sexual assault involving penetration.
The 'lift rapist' returns to prison following new sexual assault in Granada
The National Police arrested a man identified as R. M. S., approximately 50 years old, on Tuesday, accused of an alleged violent robbery and sexual assault committed on the night of 31 May in Granada. According to ideal.es, this is the same individual whom the courts sentenced in 2003 for committing 15 rapes within a two-month period in the city centre, known at that time as the 'lift rapist'.
On Thursday, the judge ordered the detainee's remand in custody without bail. The Investigation Section of Court of First Instance Number 4 of Granada, acting as duty court, adopted the measure after it was established that the sexual assault had involved penetration and that the property entered for robbery was occupied at the time of the incident.
Three incidents in less than a month
The investigation began on 3 May, when officers from the Urban Crime Unit of the Centre became aware of a violent robbery in which the attacker was carrying a sharp object in his left hand and took advantage of the victim's entry into an apartment building to commit the assault. At that time, the case showed no indicators of a sexual nature.
A second assault occurred on 17 May in the same area. On this occasion, officers identified elements suggesting sexual intent: the attacker repeated the same modus operandi and inserted his fingers into the victim's mouth, a young woman who found herself in circumstances similar to those of the first case.
The situation escalated on the night of 31 May. Another young woman returning to her home was assaulted and forced to enter the lift, where she suffered a sexual assault involving penetration, according to information provided by the National Police.
The pattern matches "with exactitude" crimes from more than two decades ago
Collaboration between the Urban Crime Unit of the Centre and the Family and Women's Assistance Unit of the North allowed investigators to accelerate their inquiries. Officers identified that the modus operandi repeated identically across the three incidents.
Upon cross-referencing this data with National Police archives, investigators found that the pattern matched "with exactitude" a series of crimes of the same nature committed in the same area of Granada more than two decades ago. The image of the alleged perpetrator also corresponded with that of the individual responsible for those events, which had significant social impact at the time.
The officers' working theory is that R. M. S., who was in the third grade of prison classification after serving more than 23 years in prison, exploited his temporary release permits to commit the reported offences.
Arrested at social integration centre
On Tuesday morning, R. M. S. was identified at Granada's social integration centre when he was about to use a new release permit. Officers searched his home and seized clothing he had worn in the days prior, which was compared against images captured by cameras. Following a positive facial recognition, the individual was brought before the courts on Thursday.
The operation was publicly presented by the Government's Deputy Delegate, José Antonio Montilla; the provincial commissioner of the National Police, Rafael Rodríguez; and the head of the Judicial Police, Javier Cazorla, who congratulated the officers involved for having stopped a "recidivist sexual attacker who, given his record, could have continued".
The officials stressed the speed of the investigation: within barely a day and a half from when the rape occurred, the alleged perpetrator was brought before the justice system. The provincial commissioner urged the public to remain calm and recalled that such incidents "are not habitual in Granada".
Source: Google News ES — Crime (es)