Man arrested in Pontevedra for sexual harassment after sting operation targeting minors
Three teenagers trapped a 47-year-old man who was sexually harassing them by posing as minors. He was arrested in Mos after organising a meeting in Gondomar and faces charges of grooming and indecent exposure.
Operation against sexual predator on social networks
Three minors aged 13 and 14 set a trap through social media to capture an adult who was sexually harassing them. The man, 47 years old and of Spanish nationality, believed he was interacting with a 14-year-old girl in a chat on a web platform. According to El Confidencial, initial contact began in July through a fake profile created by the teenagers.
Over several weeks, the adult sent completely nude photographs to the person he believed was a minor and repeatedly insisted on requests of an explicitly sexual nature. The minors organised a physical meeting in a park in the residential area of Gondomar, a municipality located about twenty minutes south of Vigo. A friend of the youths went to the location as an initial lure.
When the man arrived, around ten young people who had been hiding in the park suddenly emerged to confront him and shouted "paedophile" at him, according to sources from the investigation by the Vigo Guardia Civil command. The commotion was such that a neighbour alerted a Guardia Civil patrol. Officers identified him and, during a search of his vehicle, found condoms and vaseline. That night he was allowed to return to his home.
The investigation, named Operation Vasilium in reference to the lubricant that was found, was escalated to the prosecution after compiling initial evidence. The judge of Court number 5 in Vigo authorised entry and search of his home in Mos, where he lived with his family. Officers from the Vigo Judicial Police seized mobile phones, USB memory cards, hard drives, computers and other electronic devices for thorough analysis.
The detainee was charged with several offences of sexual assault against minors under 16 years of age, grooming (paedophilic deception and cyber-harassment), indecent exposure and sexual provocation. This week he appeared before the judge, who released him on bail with charges pending as the investigation continues towards trial. The authorities are continuing to analyse his devices to determine whether there is a systematic pattern and whether there were other possible victims.
The Guardia Civil has highlighted the recklessness of the three minors, who interacted with a possible criminal and organised the meeting without approaching the Security Forces or being fully aware of the risks involved. Cyber-harassment and grooming constitute a growing threat in Spain. According to the Interior Ministry's Report on Offences Against Sexual Integrity, grooming represented 2.62% of complaints against sexual freedom in 2025.
Offences of this type reached 23,668 cases last year, the highest figure since recording began in 2019. This escalation is facilitated by the anonymity of social networks, new digital tools and artificial intelligence, risks amplified by the ease with which young minors access and participate in social platforms. The phenomenon is also reflected in the school environment: cases of school bullying in Galicia surged 222% last year, rising from 75 complaints in 2024 to 242 in 2025, according to data published by the Galician prosecution. Paediatric consultations for the same reason recorded a 30% increase.
Source: El Confidencial