An Englishman, who allegedly sexually abused a minor, was released from police custody because nobody of the Cartagena prosecution was able to read him his rights in English.
"As no one knew the language of the accused, they left him free to avoid a procedural error or a violation of the due process," an official source of the judicial police SIJIN told newspaper El Tiempo.
The police caught English Richard James Williams while having sex with an underage boy in the bathroom of a shopping center. The boy, a suspected child prostitute, told police had been abused by Williams.
During the first interrogations, Williams claimed not to understand anything the policemen said. However, neighbors and hotel personnel told the newspaper they talked with him in perfect Spanish everyday.
Ibeth Cecilia Hernandez, Cartagena's District Attorney, confirmed that the Cartagena prosecution has no translators. "We should have experts because foreigners are common here," Hernandez concluded.
Williams is not allowed to leave the country until the process ends. This may not take long since the allegedly abused minor never showed up to testify.
Earlier this year, Cartagena Police was forced to release three suspected sex tourists from Israel for the same reason.
Cartagena is one of Latin America's most popular holiday destinations for tourists seeking sex with minors.
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