Pedophile Pardoned in Morocco Appears in Spanish Court

A pedophile who was controversially pardoned by the king of Morocco appeared in a Spanish court on Saturday accused of sexually abusing a girl in Spain in 2004, court sources said.

His face partly hidden by a cap and sunglasses, Daniel Galvan, a 63-year-old Spaniard, was escorted by several police officers to the court in Torrevieja, in eastern Spain.

"He stayed for a bit more than an hour before the judge, made his statement, answered all the questions posed by the parties," a spokeswoman for the court said.

Defence lawyer Manuel Maza said his client proclaimed himself innocent of the new charges against him.

The parents of a girl living in Torrevieja, where Galvan had said he lived, accused him of sexually abusing their daughter in 2004 while she was six or seven years old.

The girl's parents brought charges after recognizing Galvan when he appeared on television after a scandal erupted this month in Morocco over his case.

King Mohamed VI pardoned him of the rape of 11 children, for which he was serving 30 years in prison in Morocco after being convicted. The king later revoked his pardon.

Galvan, who is originally from Iraq, was later re-arrested in Spain and was remanded in custody on August 7.