A KARATE coach accused of sexually abusing his students has been placed in pre-trial detention without bail after a Malaga court judged that the risk of him reoffending was too high.
Lorenzo Marin, a former junior national karate selector, was arrested by officers from the Policia Nacional in late August amid accusations he had repeatedly sexually assaulted at least four students aged between six and 15 years old.
Earlier this week, Malaga’s provincial court threw out an appeal from the defence and confirmed that Marin, 70, would be refused bail amid fears that ‘if released, he could repeat this type of conduct’.
Judges were also worried that Marin would use bail to attempt to influence his victims and therefore undermine the judicial process.
In response, the defence argued that the accused had been working with minors ‘for more than 20 years without ever having received a complaint, claim or disciplinary action’.
They also pointed out that Marin is currently retired, with his son instead running the karate club, arguing that there was no risk of flight or destruction of evidence.
But the court found that the legal and constitutional requirements for pre-trial detention were met.
The case came to light when the mother of one of the four young complainants contacted Malaga’s Redime Association, a charity which specialises in supporting young people who have been victims of sexual abuse.
Marin is accused of repeated sexual abuse of at least four children aged between six and 15 years old.
According to the victims’ testimonies, the alleged abuse took place during training camps and sessions before karate championships.
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