Sexual assault on a patient at Can Misses Hospital: "He threatened to cut my throat if I asked for help"

PalmA man arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman at Can Misses Hospital (Ibiza) threatened to cut her throat if she asked for help. According to the National Police, the alleged perpetrator entered the hospital center at dawn and entered the patient's room, whom he grabbed by the neck and threatened before sexually assaulting her.

The woman, as the agents explained, pressed the button next to her bed to ask for medical assistance, at which point the man left the room. At that moment he was seen by several healthcare professionals who did not manage to stop him. The National Police, given the victim's delicate state of health, communicated the seriousness of the events to the duty court and requested an urgent report via videoconference, through which she explained to the judge that the aggressor threatened to cut her throat if she asked for help.

After this, the agents launched the investigation and identified the alleged perpetrator. According to the investigations, the detainee had been living near the hospital, although he currently lived in a caravan in another municipality. The agents searched his home and seized evidence. The National Police has closed the investigation and the report, transferring it to the competent judicial authority along with the detainee this Friday.

Can Misses will review the security system

The Can Misses Hospital will review its security system after the sexual assault suffered by a patient, whose alleged perpetrator has already been arrested by the National Police.

This was confirmed by the Government spokesperson, Antoni Costa, at the press conference following the Governing Council meeting this Friday, when asked about the matter. Costa expressed the "most resounding condemnation and repulsion" from the Executive and assured that the victim is receiving psychological support.

Although he pointed out that the security and sexual assault protocols were activated "immediately" after receiving the alert, he conceded that the fact that an incident of this magnitude has occurred "makes one consider and review the entire security system". The Executive spokesperson indicated that, although they had not yet been put in place at the time of the sexual assault, the summer surveillance reinforcements in hospitals and health centers will begin in the coming days.

The sexual assault, as explained by the manager of the Pitiüses Health Area, Eduardo Escudero, occurred around 03:30 on Monday. The nurses on duty heard screams coming from a room and, upon attending, observed a person running away.

Two people were sleeping in the room, although one of them was in the shower at the time of the events. The victim told the healthcare professionals that she had been sexually assaulted, and they activated the corresponding protocol.

The hospital's security services contacted the National Police, who came to the center to begin investigations. They reviewed the security cameras and observed that a suspect had forced one of the entrance doors. After committing the sexual assault, he left through another door. Investigators located him shortly thereafter and arrested him as the alleged perpetrator of a sexual assault offense. The victim, a patient admitted for a pathological condition, underwent an initial examination by a midwife and is receiving psychological support.