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Castrojeriz trouble

Swinslow

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This is not my post. I am sharing it's from a current pilgrim who posted in the American Facebook page called Camigas

" I was in Castrojeraz last night. There is a local man about 5ft tall looks to be 70-80 yrs old. We walks the main street thru town. He wears glasses that have scotch tape on one lens. He engages pilgrims with a smile! I asked him for directions & he grabbed/groped me inappropriately. I warned 2younger female pilgrims & he had done the same to one of them. Today on the trail, in conversation I heard of 2 other incidents of female pilgrims & this man. I don't know who to alert but thought I would post this/ I hope this is ok for this forum."

Just sharing because I think it appropriate.
 
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This happened to me and to another woman who was walking the Camino at the same time but on a different day. I posted about this last summer after I had returned. I am sure that he is suffering from some kind of dementia but, nevertheless, he pushed the other woman to the ground after coming on to her. If this is continuing, then people in the town need to be alerted but I don't know how. I raised the matter with a man in the plaza at the time it happened and either my Spanish was appalling - which it is - or he didn't think it a problem. The incident which descended to obscenity caused me to pack up my lunch and leave town asap, this was a shame as I had been made very welcome in the church now converted to a museum/gallery.
 
The police need to be informed if any action is to be effective. Warning others through this forum may ensure a few people are alert for the behaviour, but formally reporting any incident is the only way an appropriate authority can take action.

Previous discussions have suggested what can be done might be limited, but without any report, nothing can or will be done.
 
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I agree dougfitz but as I am in the UK I have no idea where to start in contacting the police. If anyone can advise me, especially as my Spanish is limited, I would be grateful.
 
I agree dougfitz but as I am in the UK I have no idea where to start in contacting the police. If anyone can advise me, especially as my Spanish is limited, I would be grateful.

Write to the Spanish Embassy in London, providing full details (time, place etc), and asking that they refer this to the authorities in Spain for action, and to keep you informed.
 
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Ha, yeah, he grabbed me, too. And another woman I talked to. If anyone is going through Castrojerez, maybe they would look into reporting this? He approached me in front of the "main" little plaza. I would bet any of the local shopkeepers there could identify this guy.
 
Enjoyed our stay in Castrojerizlast fall. We stayed at the albergue that was at the top of a bunch of steps, but had nothing happen like has been describes in the OP. I wondered if a hospitalero (sp?) might have helped? This stuff does need to be reported to the proper officials .
 
Perhaps the hospies in San Anton could inform the local authorities?
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Perhaps the hospies in San Anton could inform the local authorities?
That's a big ask, especially if they don't witness the incident. In any case, you would have to walk back several km to talk to them. Why not just go to the police yourself - even if you do have limited Spanish.
 
Note that the Policia Nacional have a bank of interpreters handy for 112 calls in almost 40 languages, and almost certainly can read English information, as can the Guardia Civil. Don't worry about translating it into Castilian-- clear and direct English. The Spanish authorities are keen on responding to problems on the Camino, but cannot do a thing without specific information.
 
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I think I recall that this was discussed previously....maybe a year or so ago.
I don't remember that it was Castrojeriz...but I think it was.

There is a thread..but I am on my iPhone and searching is not easy.
I made a report on this thread about what appears to be the same man.
 
After trying without success to contact the Civil Guard from the UK - the number is always engaged - I telephoned an albergue owner in the town. He spoke English and has kindly offered to alert the police. I gave him my contact details so that they can get in touch with me and I suggest the OP's friend, who was assaulted, also contact the police and make a statement. The man accosting peregrinas needs help to be stopped from behaving in this threatening way. Castrojeriz is a lovely town and it doesn't need this negative reporting.
 
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Thank you biarritzdon. I made contact with Javier at albergue Rosalia and he is already with the police. They ask that the most recent person assaulted by the man (as in the OP) contact them urgently on 0034947377031 so that he can be stopped. I told Javier- who was most kind and helpful - that I believed the man is suffering from some kind of dementia, so that he may be treated accordingly.
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
After trying without success to contact the Civil Guard from the UK - the number is always engaged - I telephoned an albergue owner in the town. He spoke English and has kindly offered to alert the police. I gave him my contact details so that they can get in touch with me and I suggest the OP's friend, who was assaulted, also contact the police and make a statement. The man accosting peregrinas needs help to be stopped from behaving in this threatening way. Castrojeriz is a lovely town and it doesn't need this negative reporting.
Thanks for taking the time to do this.
 
Perfecto. The city council will probably know him and his situation and be able to deal with him.
I just figured he was one of the same guys who grabbed me, saying "guapa" in Spain back in 1973 when I was 18 and he was 24
:)
I have just received another update from Javier who says the matter has been raised with the city council and the police, and that action will be taken next week.
 
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I'm a member of FICS, the Fraternidad Internacional del Camino de Santiago. I can address the Castrojeriz authorities with this, but I need to go in there armed with names, dates, times. He said- she said - I heard will not do the trick, but a lot of facts will.
If you were assaulted by this guy, please IM me here, or email me (rebrites (at) yahoo.com) with relevant details.
 
Do not know if this is the same person but an article appeared in the leonoticias 2 days ago about the arrest of a 63 year old man by the Civil Guard in Castrojeriz.
 
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Do not know if this is the same person but an article appeared in the leonoticias 2 days ago about the arrest of a 63 year old man by the Civil Guard in Castrojeriz.

"tocarle el glúteo" Yeah, that's the guy! Bugs me a little he's barely older than me. I thought he was much older. Wonder if he has family around who might come collect him and rein him in.
 
So I am reading/skimming "Travels with my Donkey" by Tim Moore about his camino (along with his ass, heh), and I came to the part where he is just leaving Castrojerez and sees an old man approach two pilgrim women on the camino, then is hugging and trying to kiss them. At first they think it's funny, but soon not so much. The next woman coming along decked him in the throat. It's on page 183. This book was published in 2004!
Could this possibly be the same guy?? Shows you how relatively safe the Camino is that there are so many accounts/complaints about what could be one offender.
 
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@JillGat , @SEB and @Wokabaut_Meri - it would probably be very helpful to the Guardia Civil if all three of you sent letters documenting your experience, and with your own contact details.

The address seems to be Guardia Civil,
Dirección postal: PSO. PUERTA DEL MONTE, 8
Localidad: CASTROJERIZ
Provincia: BURGOS
Código postal: 9110
 
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@JillGat , @SEB and @Wokabaut_Meri - it would probably be very helpful to the Guardia Civil if all three of you sent letters documenting your experience, and with your own contact details.

The address seems to be Guardia Civil,
Dirección postal: PSO. PUERTA DEL MONTE, 8
Localidad: CASTROJERIZ
Provincia: BURGOS
Código postal: 9110

I responded with details to Rebekah Scott of the Fraternidad Internacional del Camino de Santiago (see her earlier post). I am not sure exactly how the Guardia Civil might handle this kind of thing, so I'd rather not go directly to them, myself. I think we're dealing with some dementia here and I don't think jailing him would be the answer. I'd rather that family and people who know him in the village try to deal with it first. That is my personal opinion based on my experience.
 
I responded with details to Rebekah Scott of the Fraternidad Internacional del Camino de Santiago (see her earlier post). I am not sure exactly how the Guardia Civil might handle this kind of thing, so I'd rather not go directly to them, myself. I think we're dealing with some dementia here and I don't think jailing him would be the answer. I'd rather that family and people who know him in the village try to deal with it first. That is my personal opinion based on my experience.

Thank you Kanga for the details. I did the same as JillGat and I passed the account of what happened to me to Rebekah Scott and before that forwarded my contact details to Javier at the Albergue Rosalia to give to the police. I agree with JillGat that the man may well have mental health problems ( I assumed dementia, but it seems he is much younger than I thought) and that protection for him and for pilgrims is the answer. There is always a danger that anyone manifesting this kind of aggressive behaviour keeps on doing what he does, and that the level of accompanying violence increases the longer left unchallenged.
 
Thanks, Kanga. I was witness to the aftermath of an incident and have passed the details onto the woman involved.
 
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This is not my post. I am sharing it's from a current pilgrim who posted in the American Facebook page called Camigas

" I was in Castrojeraz last night. There is a local man about 5ft tall looks to be 70-80 yrs old. We walks the main street thru town. He wears glasses that have scotch tape on one lens. He engages pilgrims with a smile! I asked him for directions & he grabbed/groped me inappropriately. I warned 2younger female pilgrims & he had done the same to one of them. Today on the trail, in conversation I heard of 2 other incidents of female pilgrims & this man. I don't know who to alert but thought I would post this/ I hope this is ok for this forum."

Just sharing because I think it appropriate.


It's funny I'm just seeing this now. I encountered this man in Castrojeriz in September. He acted in the exact way you describe and groped me. The next morning I left Castrojeriz so angry and made it as far as Itero before I decided to call the police. Having crossed over into Palencia, I made it more complicated by involving another jurisdiction, but the police were so helpful and finally I was brought back to Castrojeriz to file a report. I won't go into how complicated, boring and infuriating that day was, but the police in Castrojeriz knew exactly who the man was and soon we were all on the way to Burgos to see a judge.

A couple months passed and I ended up dropping the charges when I returned to the US, something I felt torn about, but decided to do since the man is actually 90 years old. I hope that at the very least this man's predatory schedule was disrupted for awhile. It was actually an interesting and humbling experience to see how the legal system works in Spain, especially since I needed a translator.

It's easy to see why these incidents don't get reported--the man was old so I never felt physically threatened, plus it was a lost day and an enormous pain in the a**. But the next day I felt absolutely that it was 1000 percent worth it to report. I think doing so saved me from brooding the rest of my Camino.

Buen Camino to everyone! Despite the damper in Castrojeriz, this journey has come to mean even more to me the more I think about it. Sometimes I still can't believe it actually happened!

Edited for bad grammar ;)
 
The Guardia Civil have a role as "agents of civil solidarity," and work with local health authorities in those situations where it's appropriate. But in each and every case, they need the victim's statements and formal complaint to get the wheel rolling. As I mentioned above, the Spanish emergency number has English-speaking operators, as do the lines for the Guardia and the Policia Nacional.
 

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