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La Manada sex attackers chased away from Seville public pool

The Local Spain
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La Manada sex attackers chased away from Seville public pool
A poster showing mugshots of the "wolf pack" held up during a protest. Photo: AFP

They may have been freed to walk the streets despite a conviction for sexually abusing a teenager during San Fermin festivities in Pamplona, but having fun is proving easy against the strength of public opinion against them.

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Two members of the self-styled ‘wolf pack’ were hounded out of a swimming pool in Seville after being recognised by members of the public on Saturday.

Two of the group of five, who were sentenced to nine years in jail  for sexual abuse after being  cleared of rape in a ruling that caused outrage across Spain, went to the swimming pool in Palomares del Río to celebrate the birthday of a friend.

The two members of the gang were with a group of 10 friends, one of whom was an employee at the sports centre celebrating his birthday, and after eating at the bar of the sports centre, the group moved poolside for drinks.

 It was there that they were recognised by fellow pool users, who shouted and jeered at the two “rapists” until they moved away.

They were forced to stay inside in another part of the sports centre until it closed for the day, reported El Pais.

Deputy mayor, Juana Caballero, called a press conference on Monday to explain the situation.

“Our government is not going to allow people declared personas non grata by this City Hall come to our municipality and use our public spaces to provoke social alarm,” she said.

“We are not going to allow Palomares del Río to become a refuge for rapists and criminals, and we are not going to tolerate our citizens feeling alarmed by these kinds of unwanted visitors,”  she added.

The case has become one of the most high profile and controversial in Spain sparking mass protests over the lenient sentencing and once again when the five were released from jail pending an appeal.

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Photo: AFP

 The men were accused of gang raping an 18 year-old during Pamplona’s running of the bulls fiesta in 2016.They videoed it on their smartphones and bragged about it within their WhatsApp group, calling themselves "The Pack". 

All five were convicted of sexual abuse in April but were acquitted of the more serious crime of sexual assault, which includes rape, as the court did not consider that the victim had been subjected to intimidation or violence, sparking nationwide protests to demand that the law be changed. 

They appealed their jail terms and a Pamplona court in June ordered that the five men be released on bail of €6,000 pending the outcome of the appeal.

In June, the victim of the attack spoke out for the first time, urging those who had suffered sexual attacks not to remain silent. 

READ MORE: Victim of Spain sexual abuse 'wolf pack' speaks out for first time

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