He Claimed to Be a 17-Year-Old Minor: This Moroccan Man Is Now 24

The case dates back to August 29, 2025, in Madrid’s Hortaleza district. A teenage girl had reported a sexual assault that occurred in Isabel Clara Eugenia Park, located near the center for the initial care of unaccompanied foreign minors.

Police then arrested a Moroccan national who claimed to be 17 years old. Presented as an unaccompanied foreign minor, he was taken into care within Spain’s child protection system.

But investigators soon began to doubt his age.

Radiological examinations carried out at Gregorio Marañón Hospital ultimately concluded that his most likely biological age was 23.2. Even the lowest estimate retained by the doctors placed him at 19, meaning he was over the age of majority.

On Bladi.net : How affluent Moroccan families use Spain as a "free boarding school

The man, who is now 24, would therefore have benefited from the system reserved for minors even though he was already an adult.

For several years, Spain has faced difficulties in determining the real age of certain young migrants who claim to be minors, particularly when they arrive without documents that can establish their date of birth with certainty.

A judge now considers the evidence sufficient

Nearly a year after the events, the case has just reached a new stage. According to information published by Qué ! Madrid, a Madrid judge has issued an order for “procesamiento” against him.

This decision does not constitute a conviction. It means that the investigating judge believes there are sufficient rational indications to continue criminal proceedings against the Moroccan as the alleged perpetrator of the sexual assault.

The Hortaleza center where the Moroccan had been taken into care is well known in Madrid. It had already accommodated other Moroccan minors who arrived alone in Spain and has regularly been the subject of debates over reception and security conditions.

After his true age was discovered, the juvenile justice system had relinquished jurisdiction over the case in favor of the ordinary criminal courts.

The Moroccan had initially continued to be held in a facility for minors before being transferred to pretrial detention. According to information published at the time, this decision was made after medical assessments confirming that he was an adult.

The examinations had specifically estimated his biological age at 23.2, with a range of 19 to 30. The court had also noted the existence of a previous forensic medical report that had already concluded that he was an adult.

On Bladi.net : Report Reveals Abuse of Moroccan Minors in Spanish Care Centers

His journey before arriving in Hortaleza had also attracted attention. According to Vozpópuli, the Moroccan arrived in Spain in January 2024 hidden inside a truck unloaded in Almería.

He allegedly then traveled between Spain, France, Germany and Switzerland and passed through several centers housing minors, using a date of birth that made him appear to be an adolescent.

When he arrived at the Hortaleza center, he allegedly refused to undergo an examination intended to determine his age. It was only after his arrest in the sexual assault case that medical examinations ultimately established that he was an adult.

The new order issued by the judge now brings the case closer to a possible trial. Another man must also be questioned by the Madrid authorities in connection with the same case, although his precise role has not yet been made public.