Judge Sofía Díaz describes three decades of harassment from false Bar España pedophilia claims

In the latest session of the trial over the Bar España hoax, Sofía Díaz, president of the Audiencia Provincial of Castellón, detailed a thirty-year ordeal of harassment after a fabricated pedophilia scandal implicated her. The saga began in 1997 when Reinaldo Colás, seeking revenge in a custody dispute, filed a false sexual-abuse complaint that led the judge to temporarily remove the children’s custody. Subsequent investigations cleared the minors, and the case was archived, but Colás and accomplice Joaquín Crespo revived the story, alleging that Díaz, in her judicial robes, participated in murders and assaults on children at the Bar España in Benicarló.

The false narrative spread via dubious websites, podcasts, Telegram channels and large WhatsApp groups, even reaching political figures such as Mónica Oltra and Carlos Fabra. Colás was eventually sentenced for filing a false complaint, and Díaz filed a civil claim against those perpetuating the libel. She described ongoing threats, loss of privacy, anxiety, and the lasting digital footprint of the baseless accusations.