The Mossos d’Esquadra of the Basic Police Area of Arenys de Mar (Maresme) have confirmed the arrest on Tuesday evening of the director of the Centre Esportiu Municipal H2O of Canet de Mar, accused of abusing minors in the sports facilities. The police are keeping the investigation open. The detainee is a regular contributor to private television channels as a reporter.
The three complaints filed by three people related to the sports centre have led to the arrest of the director of the centre located on Ronda Ferrer in Canet for allegedly abusing young people between 15 and 17 years old. The man, whose initials are FH, is accused of sexually abusing the minors, with whom he allegedly established friendships “beyond the usual” according to sources from H2O workers.
The employees of the sports centre, three of whom have already given a statement to the Mossos d’Esquadra, have admitted to La Vanguardia that they have observed the director exhibiting “inappropriate behaviour with some clients”, moments that they define as “situations out of place”. Although they have never been able to be certain that the detainee committed the abuses, they do admit to “having suspicions of strange things that happened” and confirm that the possible sexual relationship of the director with some young people is a rumour “quite widespread among workers and members”.
The same sources declare that the manager now arrested “went to the fitness facilities – accessible from the age of 15 – and to the swimming pool area more often than he should have”. “He always surrounded himself with a profile of young clients” with whom, according to witnesses, “he established a fraternal friendship, beyond the professional”. They also report that his behaviour in public “did not go beyond hugs, caresses or putting his arm behind someone’s back” which, according to the employees, “was very strange”.
Sports facilities at the CEM H2O in Canet de Mar.
H2O
The workers insist on maintaining the presumption of innocence regarding the accused, but also that if it is proven that he had inappropriate behavior both criminally and professionally, “appropriate measures will be taken” since they had informed the municipal government of their suspicions. They assume that the alleged abuses were carried out in the fitness rooms during times when there were few people and they add that they do not know the identity of the victims.
The FH director, apart from managing the sports facility, also worked professionally as a reporter for various national media, television and radio stations. This professional relationship was one of the pretexts for contacting the minors, to whom he allegedly guaranteed work on the private television channel where he worked and which he claimed he “had a close relationship with”. Allegedly, according to sources close to the investigation, he convinced his alleged victims to take nude photos to promote them in the media and even invited them to his home in Mollet del Vallès.
The employees to whom La Vanguardia has had access confirm that during the last few months the detainee “has had ups and downs at a professional level, debatable moments and some problems”, but they claim that the company “is only interested in economic benefits” and was unaware of the problem. Regarding the complaints from workers and users of the complex, they say that “we did not have access to the information”.
Suspicions of personal revenge
The municipal sports centre in Canet de Mar, which was opened in 2008 and has more than 2,000 members, not only from the town but also from surrounding villages, is managed by a private foundation. Sources from the board of the organisation have confirmed the arrest of the director and say they “do not know what he is accused of” although they understand that he has already been assisted by a lawyer. They emphasise that with FH in the seven years that he has been in charge, they have never had any problems “or suspicions”.
The detainee’s entourage claims that the arrest could be due to “personal revenge” since the accusations coincide “with a recent problem” about which they did not want to give details, but which makes them suspect that the accusations may be false. In this case, they assure that “we will react in due time.”
For its part, the Canet de Mar City Council has not responded to this newspaper’s request for verification, although other municipal sources acknowledge that they have been aware of the events since yesterday, which has generated criticism from some opposition parties for not being informed and encouraging with this hermetic attitude “possible fake news”. In the political sphere, some councillors have already asked that the responsibilities of both the accused and the concessionaire company be determined.
Read also La Vanguardia, Agencies
