Kirsty Mckenzie
An Irish pensioner has been arrested in Benalmádena for allegedly grooming five local kids into sending him intimate pics of themselves in exchange for phone credit, cinema tickets and cash.
Police said the 69-year-old targeted children from poor families on the Costa del Sol and convinced them to text him indecent images and videos of themselves in return for gifts.
The investigation began last December when the mother of a child complained to police that her son had been receiving messages from a man asking for intimate photos and giving him presents to meet with him.
The sex creep is said to have spotted his first victim in a park and asked a waiter to offer him a drink.
Once he had gained the boy’s confidence, he asked to meet him again alone.
The child said that he wanted to bring a friend, but the Irish national told him he had to go alone because his neighbours did not like having children in the area.
He was detained at his home in Benalmádena last Wednesday.
Officers searched his property and seized a number of items for forensic examination, including his computer and phone.
This provided details of the four other victims, whose families were contacted.
He is also believed to have physically abused at least one of the victims.
The man has since appeared before an investigating judge, who placed him under official investigation for child pornography offences, corrupting minors and sexual abuse of a child before releasing him on bail.
