- Cristopher Andrés Picado Ramírez, 28, was tried in April after an arrest in 2022.
Four British tourists were attacked by a serial rapist while on holiday at a stunning resort in Costa Rica, a court heard.
Cristopher Andrés Picado Ramírez, 28, was tried in April for the alleged sexual assault of four unidentified British victims, an Argentine woman and two Costa Rican minors between 2019 and 2022.
Surf instructor Ramirez is believed to have forced himself on his victims at various locations in the Santa Teresa resort region on Costa Rica’s west coast.
He was arrested in April 2022 after the four British tourists lodged complaints with Costa Rican police, after which several other victims spoke of their ordeals.
But judges granted him bail despite the nature of his crimes, drawing strong criticism from activists in Costa Rica and Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Cristopher Andrés Picado Ramírez, 28, was tried in April for the alleged sexual assault of four unidentified British victims, an Argentine woman and two Costa Rican minors between 2019 and 2022.
FILE PHOTO: Sunset on Santa Teresa beach, Costa Rica
Ramírez is said to have abused some of his victims in the bathroom of a bar in Santa Teresa, while others were attacked at parties held on farmland near the famous beach.
The defendant is originally from San Ramón, but is said to have moved to Santa Teresa to work as a surf instructor several years ago, according to Costa Rican media. Extra Diary.
An image of Ramírez detained by a police officer showed how the surfer’s arms were covered in different tattoos, markers that his victims later used to identify him to the authorities.
The British women who accused the Costa Rican of the attacks presented their evidence at the Costa Rican consulate in London when the trial began in April.
But court hearings stalled last month when Ramirez, in a strange turn of events, requested that one of his alleged victims provide a witness on his behalf.
FILE PHOTO: Tourists on the main strip of Santa Teresa on the southern coast of the Nicoya Peninsula; Santa Teresa Beach, Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Ramírez is said to have abused some of his victims in the bathroom of a bar in Santa Teresa, while others were attacked at parties held on farmland near the famous beach.
The woman in question, now 18, was described as Ramirez’s girlfriend, even though she was only 13 when she crossed paths with the defendant at age 24, according to a report from Sun.
Walter Brenes, a lawyer for three of the victims, said he was “completely baffled” by the move.
“In a hypothetical defense of myself, I would not offer a victim as evidence, knowing that the victim is still a victim,” he told reporters.
The trial continues.
