A karate coach accused of sexually abusing at least four former students has been sent to jail ahead of trial.
Lorenzo Marin, the former junior national coach, is claimed to have repeatedly assaulted four children aged between six and 15.
Judges ruled to keep him behind bars, upholding the earlier ruling from Torremolinos Court of Instruction No. 2, citing fears that Marín could reoffend or attempt to influence the victims if released.
The court said imprisonment was necessary both to ensure the integrity of the investigation and to prevent interference in the judicial process.
Marín’s defence had appealed the decision, arguing that he had trained minors for over two decades without a single complaint or disciplinary record.
His lawyers also stressed that he is now retired, and that the karate club is run by his son, claiming this removed any risk of further offences or witness tampering.
They also maintained that the accusations were based solely on statements from former students, allegedly lacking precise details of dates or locations.
However, the court rejected the appeal, stating that the case was of ‘sufficient gravity’ to suggest a potential risk of flight and an attempt to evade justice.
The investigation began after the mother of one of the alleged victims contacted Redime, a Malaga-based association that supports survivors of child and adolescent sexual abuse.
The young men, now aged between 20 and 25, had recently decided to come forward. Redime’s lawyer, Maria del Carmen Heredia, then alerted the Policia Nacional.
According to the court order, there are rational indications of criminal behaviour based on the statements of the alleged victims, taken both by police and by the examining magistrate.
Judges described the accounts as ‘clear and consistent’, noting that the victims provided detailed and coherent descriptions of where and how the alleged assaults took place – reportedly during training sessions and pre-competition camps.
The court also cited reports from the Márgenes y Vínculos Foundation, produced within the Junta de Andalucía’s Programme for the Evaluation and Treatment of Child Victims of Sexual Violence, which found the account of one of the victims to be credible.
Parents of another alleged victim are also said to have confirmed the veracity of their child’s testimony, though they initially refrained from pressing charges to protect their son.
The Málaga court concluded that the facts under investigation could amount to four continuous offences of sexual assault against minors under 16, and that the seriousness of the charges and the potential penalties justify keeping Marín in custody while proceedings continue.
