A British expat who was attacked by her Spanish neighbour is in disbelief after police “rejected” her claims and accused her of making a “false report”.
Serena Coronado, an English teacher from London, says the Guardia Civil refused to even listen to her complaint, in which she alleged weeks of “xenophobic” verbal abuse and threats of violence.
Serena claims her neighbour called her an “English whore” and made repeated sexual comments and threats before eventually “attacking” her in the hallway of her apartment building in Moaña, Galicia.
To defend herself, the 41-year-old woman sprayed the man with a household spray containing water and a squirt of bathroom cleaner.
He took it to clean up his dog’s urine on the street, as required by law in Spain.
Serena Coronado (pictured), an English teacher from London, says the Guardia Civil refused to even listen to her complaint, in which she alleged weeks of “xenophobic” verbal abuse and threats of violence.
Serena alleges that her neighbour called her an “English whore” and made repeated sexual comments and threats before finally “attacking” her in the hallway of her apartment building (pictured above) in Moana, Galicia.
The next day, two Civil Guard officers showed up at her door and told her that her neighbour had reported her for assault for “hurting her eyes” with the spray.
She then went to the local Civil Guard station to file her own complaint, but says it was “rejected” outright.
“The officers said it was just revenge for their report against me,” he said.
‘They said: ‘This is shameful, many women in Spain have destroyed men’s lives with false claims.’
“It made me feel so sorry for women in this country who have suffered domestic or sexual violence and who have to go to offices like that where sexist views are expressed so blatantly.”
Although she was able to report the incident to the National Police, Serena now faces a civil lawsuit and may have to pay legal and court costs, as well as a hefty fine.
“It’s surreal. How can you sue a woman for defending herself?” she added.
“He must be very sure of his total impunity when it comes to foreigners. I feel hated for being different, as if people could do whatever they wanted with me because I am not part of the Galician club.”
As Serena awaits her trial date, she worries she will be “forced out” of her apartment where she lived for nearly 10 years.
“I don’t feel safe at all, there is hostility towards me in my building and I feel like I could be forced out,” she said.
Since then, Serena’s neighbor has allegedly made further threats of violence against her and both parties have reported the incidents to the police.
She is now a refugee in the UK as she awaits her trial date in October.
Serena fears she will be given a hefty fine and a criminal record, meaning she will be unable to work at her job as an English teacher.
Detailing the alleged abuse, she said it all began in August this year, when she claims she caught the Spaniard looking at her in her underwear while she was on her balcony.
She claims he made passing comments to her, calling her a “useless British whore” and telling her she is “not welcome in Spain”.
“It was clearly sexism and xenophobia,” she said.
Serena appears in the photo above with her dog and her Peruvian husband.
“He said, ‘You’re a foreigner walking around with all your tits and your hair hanging out, speaking English and thinking you’re better than all of us. You’re ridiculous.'”
Two weeks later, according to Serena, her neighbor claimed that she had stolen a package from outside her apartment.
She went to the front door of her home to deny the allegation and was met with “increasing aggression” in the “dark hallway”.
Serena claimed: ‘He shouted: ‘We just got the Chinese woman out and now we just need to get rid of you and your slutty husband.’
“S**aca” is a racial slur used against people from Latin America. Serena’s husband is from Peru.
Serena claims she added: ‘English whore, I’m going to hit you and say it was your faggot husband and they’ll believe me and send him to jail.’
As Serena walked away, she claims the neighbor lunged at her, forcing her to scream, “He’s attacking me!”
It was at that moment that she sprayed it with her homemade cleaner.
The next morning, two Civil Guard officers showed up at her door to inform her that the neighbour had reported her for “eye injuries”.
Serena claims her neighbor’s eyes were not injured in the incident.
The next day, Serena went to the Civil Guard in Moaña to file her own complaint but says it was “rejected.”
The Civil Guard and the National Police have been contacted for comment.
