The Oral Criminal Court of Iquique issued a unanimous guilty verdict against Sebastián Parraguez for three counts of surprise sexual abuse against two students at Rupanic School in Alto Hospicio. The incidents took place in 2024, with sentencing set for May 7. The Tarapacá Prosecutor's Office requested over five years of effective prison time.
The Oral Criminal Court of Iquique, composed of judges Francisco Fuenzalida Jeldes, Gloria Calvo Godoy, and Marcos Soto Lecaros, issued a unanimous guilty verdict on Monday against Sebastián Parraguez as perpetrator of three consummated and repeated counts of surprise sexual abuse. Prosecutor Cristóbal Platero noted the ruling relied on evidence including victim and family testimonies, documents, and photographs after six trial days.
The proven incidents include, in March 2024, touching the legs of a 15-year-old student in a Rupanic School classroom. On June 13, in an Iquique mall, he groped the same victim's buttocks unexpectedly. On June 17, at the school, he touched a 17-year-old student's stomach and pulled down her skirt, threatening her.
Parraguez, a chemistry and biology teacher, was dismissed from the school in June 2024 following complaints and suspended from Partido Republicano membership, which called the acts "gravísimos." He had previously served on the 2023 Constitutional Council for the party. He was placed in preventive prison in December 2024.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 7, with the Public Prosecutor's Office seeking over five years and one day of effective imprisonment.