Witnesses testify in the trial for the alleged harassment of a journalist that they had to change their routine “several times” for security
Bárbara de la Cueva, who was the caretaker of the twins of Irene Montero and Pablo Iglesias, has declared today in the trial for the alleged harassment of a journalist to the family of the Minister of Equality and the former Vice President of the Government. Some events allegedly occurred between November and December 2019 and for which the Prosecutor’s Office claims a year in prison, a fine and a restraining order of 500 meters for two years. The private accusation, for its part, raises her sentence request to two years in prison.
The witness has confirmed the episode of “harassment” suffered and that she stopped caring for the 17-month-old children at the time for this matter. She has explained that the situations (of alleged harassment) “were increasing”: “A week is coming. Another, with calls. Another, with cameras. Another, to the telephone». “It seemed too much to me. It harmed other children in the urbanization »of Galapagar (Madrid), where they reside, the caregiver has declared.
De la Cueva has reported that he has been working since 2014 caring for children and with the twins of Montero and Iglesias, since September 2019. It was a neighbor who warned him that there were people with cameras at the door of the nursery and then he identified Alejandro Entrambasaguas , journalist of ‘OKDiario’, the digital one directed by Eduardo Inda.
«The following week or so – everything happens in a month – he came to the lower area of my block, a garden area where children play. He called the telephone many times, 10 or 15 times. That day I was with my children and like every day we used to go down to one of the three park areas where there is a sandbox. I stopped going to all the parks and the lower area of my house. I was going to a very collected one. Some days I couldn’t go out, it didn’t make me safe to go down. I also changed the delivery of the twins: it was done up and no longer went down, for safety », he explained.
“I felt persecuted”
De la Cueva has declared that he transferred these events to Pablo Iglesias. «She was distressed, a little bewildered. She didn’t know where she could get out of. I had a bad time. I felt persecuted. I was afraid that they would take photos of them or persecute us and not be able to attend to them. I did what I could but they were not normal conditions to work.
He explained that the Community of Madrid has not opened any file on him and that he continues to work caring for minors. He has done it to refute the thesis of the journalist, who has declared in the trial that he was only trying to investigate the “illegal activity” of the nursery and in no case harass minors. «I never went for minors. I aspired to talk to the caretaker, since the Community had confirmed to me in writing that it was illegal. Every 4 or 5 days I call that woman in compliance with the informative diligence. And I’m going on December 3 because she doesn’t pick up the phone », the defendant pointed out.
Entrambasaguas has stated that on November 7, 2019, he entered the building where Montero and Iglesias took their children and that on that visit they gave him “the telephone number of the illegal caregiver.” They tell him, always according to his account, that the nursery is located on the second floor and that he then pretends to be a person interested in the nursery and that the neighbor confirms its existence. He has also admitted that he concealed his profession when he was required to identify him by an escort from Iglesias. He pretended to be a law student.
“Harassing your children is scary”
The couple’s escorts have also confirmed that they had to change the routine for safety and avoid inconvenience to the children. For her part, the prosecutor has reiterated the sentence because she considers that going to the home four times, in addition to the calls, is “insistent.” The prosecutor speaks of “repeated activity” and that the journalist did not stick to an investigation into the activity of the nursery, but because it was the center of the children of two authorities.
During the oral hearing in the Criminal Court number 30 of Madrid, Iglesias has declared as injured. “We have been the subject of threats, but having your children harassed when they are alone is scary,” he said. In the case of Montero, she explained that she had to change routines “several times” due to the presence of Entrambasaguas and that they could not go out to the park because she was “anxious and fearful.”
“After a month of harassment, the caregiver told us that she could not stand the situation and tells us that she cannot continue after mid-December (2019). As of January, we had to resort to the children’s school of the Congress, which was the only thing that gave us security, “said the minister. The trial has been seen for sentencing.