Spain's National Police are examining the mobile phone of Sandra Peña, a minor who died by suicide after reporting school bullying, to find evidence of the harassment she endured. Seville's Prosecutor's Office has launched investigations against the alleged bullies and the school for failing to act. The family condemns the rising tensions at the educational center.
Sandra Peña, described by her family as a 'good girl' and soccer enthusiast who dreamed of becoming a soldier, died by suicide last Tuesday in Seville after enduring school bullying at least since the previous spring. According to family reports, three classmates at Irlandesas de Loreto school subjected her to insults and humiliations, ignored by the administration despite two warnings from her mother: one at the end of the second trimester last school year and another in September.
The National Police's Minors Group (Grume) has unlocked Sandra's phone and is analyzing her messages and social media profiles to prove the bullying. This report will identify the alleged bullies, over 14 years old and thus potentially criminally liable, and form the basis for the youth reform file opened by Seville's Prosecutor's Office on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Prosecutor's Office is investigating the school for failing to activate the anti-bullying protocol or the suicide prevention one, despite Sandra's prior suicide attempt. Inspectors from the Department of Educational Development confirmed this inaction last week, opening an administrative file that could result in the loss of the school's educational agreement and public funding, as it belongs to the Mary Ward Foundation.
Tensions are rising: social media posts directly target the minors with personal data and photos despite their age; threatening graffiti has been erased, there are confrontations and objects thrown into the school grounds, with police presence to prevent incidents. Anonymous parents fear reprisals against their children. Isaac Villar, Sandra's uncle and family spokesperson, told EL MUNDO: 'We don't want anyone to go through this.' The family announces legal actions, possibly a criminal complaint this Tuesday.