£640,000 crimes cash seized by Staffordshire police

fraudster Paul Cope, who was last year jailed for five-and-a-half years for his role in a £28 million fraud, was ordered to pay back £400,000. The 46-year-old, of Hyde Lea, Stafford, lived a lavish lifestyle on the back of leasing and mortgage cons. He owned a villa in Marbella, several business premises, and luxury cars.

Man shot dead in Torremolinos street

A man has died after being shot in the street in Torremolinos on Thursday morning at 8,30am. First investigations show a settling of scores could have been behind the shooting which was carried out by two youngsters. A local resident advised the police of the shooting in Calle Bachiller Palma, saying there was a person on the ground who appeared dead. Several residents said the victim was often seen in the area, where it is thought he went to buy drugs. After the shooting the two youngsters escaped from the scene. Director General of the Police, Ignacio Cosidó, speaking in Madrid, confirmed the death and said they had yet to indentify the victim who had been shot several times. The National Police investigation continues.

British man found dead in San Fulgencio urbanisation

The Guardia Civil has opened an investigation to determine what caused the death of a 57 year British man whose body was found on Tuesday morning in an urbanisation in San Fulgencio, Alicante. The body showed no signs of violence according to sources close the case, quoted by Europa Press. Several residents of the urbanisation La Marina, called the authorities when they found the body of the man ‘thrown’ in a residential street at 8am. The Guardia Civil has opened an investigation to try to establish cause of death.

Spanish terror suspect loses right to appeal extradition

A suspected Basque terrorist who lived in Cambridge for years has lost his application to appeal to the Supreme Court against extradition to Spain where he is accused of the attempted assassination of the Spanish king. Lawyers for Eneko Gogeaskoetxea Arronategui, 44, argued that his case raised questions of law of public importance that should be considered by the highest court in the land. But today the High Court in London rejected the submission and refused permission for a last-ditch appeal to the Supreme Court. Last month the High Court overturned a magistrates court decision that had blocked Arronategui being extradited on the specific charge of attempting to kill King Juan Carlos in 1997. Deputy Senior District Judge Daphne Wickham, sitting at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London, ruled at a hearing in January that he could be extradited on a series of terror charges, but not on the attempted assassination charge after she accepted a defence submission that it was unsustainable in Spanish law. But High Court judges Lord Justice Laws and Mr Justice Griffith Williams ruled that extradition could take place on all charges. Gogeaskoetxea, an alleged member of the terrorist group Eta, is wanted on eight arrest warrants by the National High Court of Madrid. They include a series of charges such as placing grenade-launchers aimed at Madrid Barajas Airport and a police station in Spain. Gogeaskoetxea, a computer programme designer for Histon-based Play.com, was arrested in Cambridge last July after a Spanish national recognised him at a sports club in the city. He is alleged to have become a member of Eta in 1996 and then to have become party to a plan to kill the King of Spain who was due to be at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao on October 18 1997. Westminster Magistrates’ Court was told that the alleged offences detailed his activities up to five days before the king’s scheduled visit. Gogeaskoetxea and others were stopped by police while filling window boxes with explosives, the court heard. During the course of their getaway, a police officer, Jose Maria Aguirre Larraona, was shot dead.

Spanish police smash 'fake sheikh' fraud gang

Six Spaniards and a man from the Dominican Republic have been taken into custody as part of "Operation Flame" and the group are accused of crimes including fraud and embezzlement, police in the Catalan capital Barcelona said in a statement. The gang allegedly promised Getafe president Angel Torres a cash injection of 10 million euros (around £8m) as long as the La Liga club maintained their top-flight status and were debt-free, the statement said. In return, the club was required to transfer funds as a guarantee of solvency to an account controlled by the alleged fraudsters but Torres broke off contact with the group when two cheques they had written bounced. Police said they had questioned a total of 12 people as part of the investigation and did not rule out uncovering more victims and making more arrests in coming days.

Teen Brit arrested in Spain for ‘killing brother during row’

BRITISH teenager has been arrested after allegedly killing his twin brother in a row. Michael Goodman’s body was found in April near the remote country house they shared in Spain — 13 months after he was last seen. Twin Ryan, now 19, was detained by police after DNA tests on the dead teenager. Last night he was being held in a juvenile detention centre on suspicion of his brother’s murder. He reportedly told investigators he killed his brother by accident after his sibling hit his head on a door knob during an argument. He said he buried his body after panicking. Goodman is expected to remain in custody for the next six months while an investigation into Michael’s death continues. The twins are understood to have lived with their mum, grandad and two younger twin siblings in the house near Vallada — a village 1½ hours from the Costa Blanca resort Benidorm. It is not known where in the UK the dead boy was originally from. His mum reported him missing in May last year, two months after he first disappeared. A hill walker alerted police on April 26 after finding human remains hidden under branches near a fence surrounding the family home. Ryan, who turned 19 earlier this month, was arrested after DNA tests carried out at a specialist lab in Madrid showed the body was Michael’s. He told police his brother died as they rowed over who had taken money their mum claimed was missing, according to local newspaper reports. Ryan’s mum, who has not been named, is said to have told police she believes her son died accidentally. A youth court in the nearby town of Jativa ordered the teenager’s remand in jail after he and relatives were quizzed by a judge. Ryan was led into court with a blanket over his head by two armed Civil Guard officers. A neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: “His mother was very worried when Michael went missing but thought he had disappeared voluntarily because he had gone off before and come back. ”She was totally devastated when they discovered his body. ”It was only a few feet away from the family home. The police have told us it looked like it had been covered up in a hurry with a few branches and twigs.”

British man arrested in Spain on suspicion of murdering his mother

British man has been arrested in Spain on suspicion of murdering his mother. Sean Heiss, 28, was arrested on Friday in San Sebastian by officers executing a European Arrest Warrant. His mother, Margaret Sheehy was found dead in her flat on Springfield Road in Kingston on June 12. Ms Sheehy, 58, was known as Margot and worked for the software solutions provider Intelliflo. A post-mortem examination gave her cause of death as asphyxiation. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "On Friday 22 June a 28-year-old man was arrested on a European Arrest Warrant in San Sebastian, Spain, in connection with the murder of Margaret Sheehy in Kingston on 12 June. "The extradition process will continue in due course with the man appearing in court in Spain." Ms Sheehy's ex-partner Edwin Heiss told the Evening Standard he met her in Marbella and they were together for three years before splitting up and the last time they spoke was in 1997. He told the newspaper: "It is sad, so sad. "For some reason, call it love, call it the right moment at the right place, yes, we were in love; and through time we became strangers to each other. "I am very much sad about this, the final loss, but little is what I can do."

British woman, Lianne Smith, found guilty of killing her two children in a Lloret hotel

She used a plastic bag to suffocate the children, fearing that they would be taken into care.Lianne Smith arriving in court in Girona The jury in the Provincial Court in Girona has found the 45 year old British woman, Lianne Smith, guilty of killing her two children at the Hotel Miramar in Lloret de Mar on May 17 2010. She used a plastic bag to smother 5 year old Rebecca and 11 month old Daniel. The deaths came when her partner, Martin Smith – although the couple were not married, was extradited from Spain to the UK on charges of sexual abuse of another daughter Lianne Smith had from a previous relationship. Martin Smith’s body was found in January this year in his UK prison cell. He had hanged himself. Scared that the British social services would come after the children, she told the court she killed them ‘out of love’. But the prosecution described the murders as ‘abominable’. Medical experts told the court that Lianne Smith, ‘knew what she was doing, but believed that it was better for the children to die than to go to a reception centre’. The Prosecutor reduced his request to a 19 year sentence for each crime down to 17 years because of the confession. Lianne Smith declined her right to the last word in the court.

British Consul for the Baleares sends out warning to British tourists

British Consul for the Baleares, Paul Abrey, speaking to the BBC, has warned about an increase in delinquency in Eivissa. He said there had been cut backs in services and there was less police presence in Sant Antoni and Platja d’en Bossa, all the consequences of a country which is fighting. He made his comments in a BBC report on summer in Eivissa and the areas preferred by the youngsters from the U.K, and also noted the increase in prices. The report talked to young Britons in Sant Antoni, both tourists and workers. The Consul also advised the tourists that, given the economic situation, ‘hospitals could ask for money up front to receive medical treatment’. In another part of the report, based in Mallorca, the Consul said ‘British tourists need to improve their behaviour abroad’.

British twin arrested for killing his brother

 British youth, Ryan has been arrested for allegedly killing his twin brother Michael near their garden, say Valencia police. The body has lain just ten metres from the front door for 14 months. A resident of Moixent who was collecting wild asparagus in the Sierra de l’Ombria found the human bones in April this year. The location was not far from where the 17 year old disappeared in the summer of 2011. An investigation into the body started and Ryan then confessed to what had happened. He told the police they had been arguing about ‘something stupid’ and Michael collapsed after hitting his head on a door-knob. Seeing his brother had no pulse, Ryan is then alleged to have dragged the body outside the garden and left him next to a footpath just metres away, covering him in undergrowth.

Lianne Smith guilty of child murders in Spain

A British woman has been found guilty of murdering her two children in a hotel room in Spain. Lianne Smith, 45, originally from Tyneside, had admitted smothering Rebecca, five, and 11-month-old Daniel in Lloret de Mar in May 2010. Her defence sought an acquittal, claiming she was "psychiatrically disturbed". But the jury at the Provincial Court in Girona decided that she was criminally responsible for murdering the children. After the verdict was given, prosecutor Victor Pillado Quintas, asked for Smith to be jailed for a total of 34 years. Speaking outside the courthouse, he said: "Justice has been done, these were abominable crimes." Earlier, Jenifer Lahoz Abos, for the defence, asked the judge to consider Smith's admission as a mitigating factor and give a sentence of three-and-a-half years in prison. 'Unavoidable catastrophe' Judge Adolfo Garcia Morales is expected to release a written sentence in the next few weeks. Rebecca Smith was taken to Spain by her mother in 2007 The deaths happened a few days after Smith's partner, Martin Smith, was extradited to the UK on charges of sexually abusing her eldest daughter from another relationship. Following the deportation, Smith thought British social services were in Spain to take her children away from her. She told a psychiatrist she killed them "out of love" but the prosecution described the murders as "abominable". Psychiatrist Harry Barker treated Smith in Girona prison. During the four-day court hearing, he recalled how Smith told him she had asked Rebecca if she would prefer to live a few very happy days with her mother or a long time without her and Rebecca had replied that she wanted to stay with her mother. He added Smith saw the deaths of her children as "an unavoidable catastrophe". 'Vile, despicable' Prosecutor Victor Pillado Quintas agreed that she was suffering "pathological emotional dependence and a psychotic disorder which impaired her faculties" but argued that she was criminally responsible for the deaths. "I do not think there is a more abominable act than ending the life of a small child," he said. Martin Smith was convicted of rape and later hanged himself in prison "But if there is something which is even more horrid, more vile, more despicable than taking the life of a small child, it is that a mother should take the life of her own small child." The hearing had previously heard that she had tried to take her own life after the deaths. Lianne Smith met Martin Smith in North Tyneside in 1992, while she was going through a divorce. They lived together in a caravan in Northumberland with her daughter and son from the earlier marriage. Later they moved to Cumbria where she worked at the county council's children's services department. The couple, who share the same surname but were not married, briefly moved to Lichfield, Staffordshire, then left for Spain in 2007 with Rebecca, after Lianne Smith's eldest daughter accused Martin Smith of sexual abuse. Following his extradition, he was convicted of rape, sentenced to 16 years and in January was found hanged in his cell.

Lianne Smith is led away from the court in Girona, north-east Spain.

Lianne Smith is led away from the court in Girona, north-east Spain. She has admitted suffocating her children in a hotel on the Costa Brava. A jury is determining whether she is criminally responsible for their deaths. Photograph: Jordi Ribot Punti/Iconna/PA

A jury has retired to deliberate on the killings of a young boy and girl by their mother in a Spanish hotel room.

Lianne Smith, 45, has admitted smothering five-year-old Rebecca and 11-month-old Daniel with a plastic bag at the Miramar hotel in Lloret de Mar on the Costa Brava in May 2010.

A jury of seven men and two women at the provincial court in Girona, north-east Spain, will decide whether she is criminally responsible for the children's deaths. They will be assisted by two further jury members who take part in deliberations but do not have a vote.

Smith's defence is seeking an acquittal, claiming she was in a state of "psychiatric disturbance" and suffering insurmountable fear when the tragedy happened.

Prosecutor Victor Pillado Quintas said on Wednesday, after hearing the evidence, that he acknowledged Smith had been suffering a "pathological emotional dependence and a psychotic disorder which impaired her faculties" when she killed her children.

Instead of a total of 38 years in prison for two counts of murder, he is now asking for 34.

Even if Smith is cleared of the charges, the judge, Adolfo Garcia Morales, can remand her to a psychiatric ward until she is considered fit to be released.

The killings took place shortly after Smith's partner, Martin Smith, was arrested in Barcelona by Spanish police acting on a European arrest warrant. The family had been living in Spain since 2007 after fleeing Lichfield, Staffordshire, because Smith's eldest daughter by her first husband had accused Martin Smith of sexually abusing her.

After her partner was deported to the UK, Smith thought British social services were in Spain to take her children away from her.

The jury heard that, after killing the children, Smith tried to take her own life by cutting herself with razors, covering her head with a plastic bag, hanging herself with a telephone cable and immersing herself in a bath.

In December 2010, Martin Smith was found guilty at Manchester crown court of using hypnotism, bullying and violence to groom and sexually abuse Smith's eldest daughter, Sarah Richardson, who has waived her right to anonymity. Last January, he was found hanged in his cell at Strangeways prison in Manchester.

Originally from North Shields, Martin Smith had been a singer in a band in the north-east before working as a TV psychic. He and Smith first lived together in a caravan in Northumberland before moving to Cumbria, where she worked as a manager in Cumbria county council's children's services department.

They moved to Lichfield in 2007 but stayed for a only few months before fleeing to Spain with Rebecca.

Daniel was born in Spain in June 2009. DNA evidence revealed in court on Wednesday suggested Martin Smith was not the biological father of the two children.

Spanish police slashes translation services

HOLIDAYMAKERS who become victims of crime may have to brush up on their pidgin Spanish this summer. It comes after the National Police slashed its translation services in Spain. In the highly controversial move, police stations around Spain have been told not to use translators during the summer tourism season. Part of an ongoing series of cost-cutting measures, foreigners reporting crimes will now need to rely on the language skills of the officer on duty. There will continue to be officers who serve as translators in investigations and in immigration units.

Marbella Town Hall to get just 4 million € in compensation for the Malaya case

Consternation in Marbella as the prosecutor in the Malaya case has said that amount the town is owed in compensation is just four million €. The money represents the loss of income from two property planning agreements, Vente Vacio and Edificio Centro, and is supposed to cover that lost by the misuse of public funds. 3.8 million € will however go to compensate the state coffers in the concept of the fines for money laundering in the Malaya case. It’s a crude reality for municipal interests, and the Mayor, Ángeles Muñoz, has said the quantity of four million € it is ‘intolerable’. Marbella Town Hall had asked for compensation of 14 million for patrimonial prejudice. But most of the money lost was in money laundering and the legislation establishes that the fines derived from money laundering go to the State, as the main body prejudiced.

British woman drives into the back of a Guardia Civil patrol van

A 45 year British woman was arrested last week, after driving her vehicle into Guardia Civil patrol car which was waiting at a red light at traffic lights in Los Montesinos, Alicante. A statement from the Guardia Civil released on Wednesday said it happened on June 7 at the 2.5 km point of the CV-945. The statement says the agents were waiting for the lights to change when the Britons car crashed into the back of their vehicle. The Guardia Civil noted that the woman appeared drunk and when she was breathalysed she was found to be five times over the limit with 1.35 milligrams of alcohol per litre of exhaled air. She was arrested for a crime against road safety.

Drunk Police Chief Inspector drives into a lampost in Ceuta

A uniformed Chief Inspector from the National Police in Ceuta, named with the initials J.L.G., has been arrested for driving his patrol car when drunk at 3am. He was tested with an alcohol level of 0.90. He was arrested by local police agents when he was seen first hitting a bollard, and then driving into a lamppost. He will appear in court shortly. The Chief Inspectoris the coordinator of night time services in the city.

From prison in Soto del Real to a villa in Sotogrande

The man at the centre of the Gürtel Case, the businessman Francisco Correa, who was released on bail on Monday this week, is staying with his wife and daughter in a villa in Sotogrande. Correa was seen at the court in San Roque today, Thursday, as under the bail agreement he must report to a court every day. The 200,000 € bail was paid by his mother, after it was reduced from 400,000 € after he had spent more than 3 years in prison on remand. Correa continues to face charges of bribery, influence peddling, fiscal fraud, illicit association, money laundering and document falsification.

Two Britons face prison for cocaine smugglng

Málaga Provincial Court has condemned two British men to five and a half years in prison each, for organising and transporting deliveries of cocaine from the Costa del Sol to other European countries, such as Holland and the United Kingdom. During one of the operations six kilos of the drug was intervened. The third section of the Court considered it proved that one of the accused, together with the other who is in whereabouts unknown, had dedicated themselves since May 2010 to the trafficking. Europa Press said the other accused was a lorry driver and made frequent trips between the UK and the Costa del Sol. The Spanish National Police received information from the British Organised Crime Agency, that in August last year a lorry driven by the accused was going to the Costa del Sol to deliver illicit mercenary, and to load up with cocaine.

Zero-tolerance police clampdown on drug-driving

TRAFFIC police have announced a crackdown on driving under the influence of drugs, which will have them patrolling ‘every street at every hour of the day’ from July 9. Drivers will be pulled over at random, even if they are not seen committing a motoring offence. They will be breathalysed to check their alcohol levels and then a saliva test will indicate whether the driver has been taking drugs. If the test comes out positive, the motorist will immediately be taken for further testing and will not be allowed to continue on his or her journey. Those found to be driving under the influence of illegal substances can face anything from a 500-euro fine and six points off their licences through to a prison term. Drug-driving is behind one in four fatalities on the road, says the minister for the interior, Jorge Fernándezand the minister for traffic, María Seguí  In 2011, 480 people died as a result of accidents caused by motorists who had taken illegal substances. Drug consumption doubles the chance of having a crash, and if the driver is heavily affected, can increase probabilities of road accidents by up to seven times.

NATIONAL Police have arrested 17 people in connection with a ‘green card’ marriage racket operating throughout the country.

Based in Alcalá de Henares, Parla, and Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid), the gang was said to have matched up around 15 different couples where one party was a Spanish national and another was an illegal immigrant. During house raids in Valencia, Palma de Mallorca, San Sebastián, Madrid and Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz), they found fake ID cards, driving licences, civil registry certificates and the equipment for making these. In some cases, the accused parties are said to have acted as official witnesses at the mariage blanc unions. Investigations started a month ago in the province of Cádiz, when it was found that a woman from Equatorial Guinea, who had Spanish nationality, had applied for her family to join her in Spain – on 15 different occasions. Police inquiries found that the documentation for the visa applications was forged, and that the woman had carried out a number of transactions of this nature as part of the operations of the gang she was involved with. Spanish nationals were paid vast sums of money to ‘marry’ illegal immigrants, mostly from central African countries, officers say.

Rafa’s stolen 300,000-euro watch found

FRENCH police have found the 300,000-euro watch stolen from Spanish tennis star Rafa Nadal on Tuesday in Paris. Rafa, who had just made history by winning his seventh Roland Garros title, said the hotel staff had been ‘fantastic’ and ‘beyond reproach’ over the theft. The watch was stolen from him at the élite hotel in the 8th Arrondissement, where Rafa is a regular customer, soon after the final match - putting rather a damper on his celebrations over his unprecedented win against Serbia’s Novak Djokovic. Rafa said he had placed it on his bedside cabinet on Monday night and it was not there the next day, despite the door and windows of his suite not having been forced. It was found at around 21.30hrs the same day, hidden in the grass next to the Corbeil-Essonnes metro line to the south of the city. The culprit, a 38-year-old employee of the hotel, quickly confessed and took officers to the site where he had hidden the watch. He was caught due to the magnetic card key which had allowed him to enter Rafa’s room. Back in 2010, Rafa signed a sponsorship deal with Swiss luxury watchmaker Richard Mille, meaning he has to wear the ultra-light RM027 Tourbillon watch, which uses aerospace technology, during every game he plays.

Government looking to crack down on Prostitution

The Government wants to crack down in the fight against prostitution and is to use penal reforms to do so. The Justice and Interior Ministries are collaborating in a study as to what can be done. Fines for prostitutes by the side of the road are being considered. Interior Minister, Jorge Fernández Díaz, said, ‘We have to do away with these conducts which exploit women, and which give a hardly edifying image of the country’. He said they were studying administrative and penal measures which would signify a more efficient fight against the exploitation of women. He said no civilised person wanted to see the spectacle of prostitutes by the roads.

Cyber stalker remains out of prison despite conviction

Jorge M. has been sentenced to 192 years in prison for cyber abuse, and the court heard that he stalked as many as 67 young girls online. He intimidated the children by making threats, and using phrases such as ‘Enséñame las ‘tetis’. Despite him being condemned to 192 years in prison he will only serve 11 on the decision of the judge, but as yet he has not been imprisoned. He will not be imprisoned until the sentence is declared ‘firm’, and today the Prosecutor and one of the accusers have asked him to be imprisoned right away ‘because of the danger of him using a computer and suffering a relapse’. It seems the case is more complicated because he did not physically meet any of his victims. The prosecutor went as far to ask for a 367 year sentence, but Jorge G and his lawyers say he will appeal what is now an 11 year sentence to the Supreme Court.

Nine of those charged in the Malaya case are released without charge

As the Malaya case finally moves into its final stages, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor today, Tuesday, lifted the charges against nine of the 95 accused, the daughter of the man at the centre of it all, Juan Antonio Roca, among them. Roca, the ex Municipal Real Estate Assessor in Marbella Town Hall is the alleged brains behind what has turned out to be the largest corruption case ever seen in Spain. President of the Court in Málaga, José Gordino, authorised the nine to leave the court. Among them apart from Roca’s daughter, María Roca Jimeno, the ex Marbella councillor, Miguel Jiménez Guerra, a computer expert from a company linked to Roca Sergio Santana and an employee of another company Karin Marika Mattson. The others are the secretary to Montserra Corulla, Úrsula Quizano, Roca’s vet for his horses Hildegar Fernénez, Carlos Garcia Puente, Jose Maria Mealado and Javier Perez Villena. The court said they should have their passports returned and any embargoes imposed on their property should be lifted. The Malaya case started in September 2010 and now is in the phase of the definitive conclusions and all those charged have been filling the court to hear the arguments in the final statement of the judge. The Málaga Anti-corruption Prosecutor, Juan Carlos López Caballero, in the case has called for 3.8 billion € in fines for the accused, and Roca faces 30 years in prison and an 81 year ban from holding public office. Caballero has reduced the requested sentence for ex Mayor Marisol Yagüe from 20 to 16 years in prison.

The career criminals decided to sun themselves on the Costa del Sol while the heat is on at home.

Generic Harrods image

POLICE hunting shopping molls Annette Daniel and Jean McGovern fear the thieves have fled to Spain.

The career criminals decided to sun themselves on the Costa del Sol while the heat is on at home.

We told last week how Daniel, McGovern and three gang members were being probed over a £24,000 designer dress theft from Harrods.

CCTV images of the gang at work in the posh store in London’s Knightsbridge have been passed to the Metropolitan Police.

But the prime suspects in the robbery have now fled the UK for Marbella.

One source said: “The heat caused by the Harrods job is intense and they decided to get out as quickly as possible.

“They’ll have to return at some point but I don’t think they will be in a hurry. If I was a shopkeeper in Marbella, I’d be keeping my eyes peeled for a pair of middle-aged Scottish women.”

Marbella has a string of designer stores including Carte Ingles in Puerto Banus, which carries top lines such as Prada and Tommy Hilfiger.

Last week we revealed four Roberto Cavalli and Ralph Lauren frocks had been nicked from Harrods. The store – feared by thieves for its stringent security – didn’t notice they were missing until the following day.

Daniel, 50, and McGovern, 45, who both have lengthy criminal records, are suspected of conducting the theft with gang members Roberta Burke, 48, Julie Tomlin, 32, and John Thomson.

The pair – members of Glasgow crime clans – run a team of professional thieves who travel around the UK.

Woman held captive for a week in La Línea

A man named with the initials A.R. has been arrested for abusing a women who he had kept locked away for seven days in a flat in La Línea de la Concepción apparently because the woman refused to have sexual relations with him. The woman managed to send a request for help by SMS to a friend who called the police. The police called at the house where their heard the shouts of the abused woman, who showed evident signs of aggression with injuries and bruises. Once the police managed to calm her down she confirmed that she had been locked up for a week. She was taken to hospital for treatment. Her attacker has been arrested.

British man in court for fatally stabbing his Irish girlfriend in Orihuela

A 24 year old Briton faces 20 years jail for stabbing his ex girlfriend 53 times causing her death. It happened on May 29 2009 in the Aparthotel Playa Marina on Orihuela Costa. The court case starts on Monday in front of a jury in the seventh section of the Provincial Court in Elche. Alan Mathew D. is accused of killing the 24 year old Irish girl, Avril Louis F., after she decided to end their relationship after a year living together. Before he attacked her, he is reported to have been phoning her insistently and would appear in places she had gone to ‘check on who she was with’. Finally, according to the prosecutor, he made the fatal knife attack, stabbing his ex girlfriend 53 times in the head, neck, body and extremities.

Confidential Access (CA), sold fake IDs, documents and tips on how to commit fraud to their clients. CA's leaders ran it from Alicante, Spain

The Metropolitan Police has warned it is working to track down 11,000 customers of a gang that specialised in providing fake IDs. The people behind the online enterprise, Confidential Access (CA), sold fake IDs, documents and tips on how to commit fraud to their clients. CA's leaders ran it from Alicante, Spain, while UK employees monitored the website and produced false documents. Six gang members were sentenced on Friday at Southwark Crown Court. Police conducted a two-and-a-half year investigation which led to four of the men being jailed. 'Credit histories ruined' Many of CA's "authentic-looking documents" were bundled together and sold as full credit profiles, including wage slips, credit history print-outs and a postal address. This made it possible for CA customers to defraud companies out of thousands of pounds, the Met said. Det Insp Tim Dowdeswell said some people's credit histories had been ruined by those involved with CA and that the operation had netted millions of pounds for the criminals. He added: "We have already brought many of their students in crime to court and will continue to work with other police forces and partners to bring those people who bought and used these identities in their own frauds to justice." One of CA's top-end products was called the platinum profile. It cost £5,500 and came complete with instructions on how to commit identity fraud. Advice and coaching For £2,000, CA also sold the 100% creditmaster profile, which was exclusive to so-called VIP members of the website, police revealed. But if the customer successfully committed fraud with it, CA would ask for 50% of the proceeds from the first fraud or threaten to wreck the credit profile. Web chat forums played a key role, providing clients with information, advice and coaching them on how to use the profiles, said the Metropolitan Police. Some of the forums were free but others came at a cost. A monthly subscription fee bought members access to forums where they could discuss how to use the identity documents to break the law and seek other tips and advice. Access to the forums was graded and some were open only to those members who spent a specific amount of money and had gained a certain level of trust, the Met said. People in the top tier were classed as VIP members and had access to a forum called "The Black Marketplace". Nautical terms This is where serious incriminating topics were discussed and hidden from the general public and non-VIP members, the Met added. Nautical terms were used to distinguish the varying levels of trust within the forums. All new, paying members would begin as deckhands and as they gained trust would climb the rank ladder from skylarker to shore patrol, up to the ship's surgeon, who was in charge. Analysis of servers, which had been seized from Hong Kong, led to a breakthrough by officers when they cracked the encryption codes, revealing the evidence they needed to prosecute. The operation was run by Jason Place and Barry Sales. Place, 42, of Aurora Court, Romulus Road, Gravesend, Kent, was jailed for six years and nine months for conspiracy to defraud. The Crown Prosecution Service took no action against Sales as he is terminally ill. Mark Powell-Richards, 59, a credit broker and antiques dealer of Nightingale Lane, Bickley, Kent, was jailed for two years and three months for conspiracy to defraud. Allen Stringer, 57, of Coldwell Road, Crossgates, Leeds, was jailed for the same term and charge. Jaipal Singh, 31, a telecoms company director, of Franchise Street, Wednesbury, West Midlands, was jailed for 18 months for conspiracy to defraud. Michael Daly, 68, a former chauffeur of Stone Court, High Street, Erith, Kent, was sentenced to 12 months, suspended for two years, and ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid community service for conspiracy to defraud. Student Arun Thear, 22, of Walsall Road, West Bromwich, West Midlands, was sentenced to six months, suspended for two years, and ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid community service for forgery, contrary to section 1 of the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981. All six had pleaded guilty at earlier hearings.

A man handed himself in to the central Police Station in Alicante on Monday after admitting the murder of his 28 year old partner.

The 35 year old Rumanian, identified as Manuel Lucian Cosman, said that he had stabbed her six or seven times leaving the kitchen knife stuck in her chest. Neighbours in Calle Catedrático Daniel Jiménez, in the Cisneros region of Alicante, reported hearing the woman screaming just before lunchtime but one said that as this was a fairly regular occurrence they thought little of it. Following Cosman’s statement to the police a SAMU ambulance was dispatched to the house but the medical team could do nothing to revive the woman.  The couple’s two children, who were both in school at the time of the murder, were later taken into care by the authorities. According to neighbors, the couple was separated, although disputes between the two were frequent, so much so that on 7 May, the murdered woman reported Cosman’s abuse and threats to police. He was arrested and on the following day a court issued a restraining order preventing him from approaching within 500 meters of the woman or their children. He had been due to appear in court on May 22 charged with domestic violence but that charge was dropped on may 21 when the woman, Iona Toflea, refused to testify.  The prosecutor had no alternative but issue an acquittal. The Minister for Social Services and Equality, Ana Mato, condemned the murder stating that the death brought the total to 19 women who had been murdered by their partners or former partners so far this year, of which 18 had not complained of any earlier mistreatment.

The construction and opening of the Gran Plaza shopping center is still remembered in court.

Built without appropriate permission in 2002 the Court administered a 600,000 euros fine. But just last week the court was turned upon its head when the Division of Administrative Justice (TS) overturned its decision, duly annulling the massive fine imposed by the Junta de Andalucía.  The developer, General Stores SA, first built the retail park despite an unfavorable report from the Ministry Economy and Finance. At the time the offense was classified as very serious in the Interior Trade Act of Andalusia. So began the process of sanction for an amount of 601,000 euros, about a hundred million pesetas. When the centre was first opened the Regional Administration made a number of site visits, but as the works were only completed to between 70 and 80 percent the Board initiated the fine. The intervening years has seen the developer of the mall continue with his opposition to the fine. Ten years after it was first awarded his actions have now been endorsed and the censure over turned.

The construction and opening of the Gran Plaza shopping center is still remembered in court.

Built without appropriate permission in 2002 the Court administered a 600,000 euros fine. But just last week the court was turned upon its head when the Division of Administrative Justice (TS) overturned its decision, duly annulling the massive fine imposed by the Junta de Andalucía.  The developer, General Stores SA, first built the retail park despite an unfavorable report from the Ministry Economy and Finance. At the time the offense was classified as very serious in the Interior Trade Act of Andalusia. So began the process of sanction for an amount of 601,000 euros, about a hundred million pesetas. When the centre was first opened the Regional Administration made a number of site visits, but as the works were only completed to between 70 and 80 percent the Board initiated the fine. The intervening years has seen the developer of the mall continue with his opposition to the fine. Ten years after it was first awarded his actions have now been endorsed and the censure over turned.

Stolen agricultural goods have recently been recovered by the Guardia Civil to the value of € 50,000.

The goods were confiscated as part of a police operation which concentrated on identifying a gang who were dedicated to stealing from farms, agricultural centres and local parks and gardens and as a result of arrests made the Court of Instruction No. 1 of Berja, last week, has sentenced five of the eight gang members arrested to imprisonment. Operation Spargeré was the code name of the action, in which the Civil Guard dismantled a gang dedicated to stealing and receivingagricultural equipment along the entire Almeria coastline. The Civil Guard Commander said that the detainees, all Romanian, have been charged with the crimes of conspiracy and the continuing offense of theft. In total they are thought to have been responsible for up to 20 acts of burglary committed in municipalities west of Almeria and Nijar. Among those arrested is a man whose family runs a catering establishment that bought all of the stolen tobacco and alcohol. They are charged with the offense of receiving stolen goods. The investigation began in the middle of February, following a spate of thefts from farms and transport companies. They included agricultural machinery and diesel trucks which were stolen from their company car parks. Once they had gathered enough evidence, the Civil Guard Operation Spargeré which involved about 50 officers, was activated early in the morning when they simultaneously swooped on five homes in the towns of Almeria, Roquetas de Mar and Adra. The operation saw them making seven arrests whilst, at the same time, they were able to recover stolen goods worth close to 50,000 euros. Among the goods seized were several LCD TVs, laptops, printers, multifunction devices, cash registers, vehicle catalysts, numerous tools, drills, grinders, cleaners, trimmers, plaster mixers - projectors, home appliances, 400 packs of cigarettes. Between them the prisoners have a history and more than thirty prior arrests for crimes against property. The investigation remains open and a spokesman said he had not ruled out further charges or arrests. The arrests are the result of the constant activity by the Civil Guard in the investigation of organized groups who are engaged in crimes against property, specialising in the commission of robberies in agricultural and public facilities.

Durban man arrested in Spanish web con

former South African man has found himself on the wrong side of the law in Spain, where he has been arrested in connection with a multimillion-pound international scam. The former Queensburgh Boys’ High pupil, Bradley Rogers, 28, now faces extradition to the UK, along with two others, on a European arrest warrant issued in relation to a fraud probe. Rogers has been living on the Costa del Sol in southern Spain for the past four years. British investigators have linked him to notorious UK crook Toni Muldoon, who is suspected of masterminding an alleged £6 million (R79m) fraud that targeted 15 000 British victims. Muldoon, 65, and a 59-year-old Briton Geraldine French are being held in custody in Madrid with Rogers. The alleged offences, involving debt elimination and escort agency companies, took place between July 2007 and November 2010. Muldoon is alleged to be involved in a scam involving escort agency websites, including Adorabelles, European Escorts, Date Angels, Diamond Companions and Delightful Stars, which offer new recruits the chance to make large amounts of money. It is alleged that the escorts are promised a client and asked for a registration fee, but never hear from the agency again. A source close to the British investigation described Rogers as Muldoon’s right-hand man. Victims of the alleged scam were targeted from boiler-room telesales outfits based in Fuengirola and Alhaurin El Grande on the Costa del Sol, and paid about £300 in advance fees for services. Rogers, who holds a British passport, began working for a cruise boat, Caribbean Lady, owned by Muldoon in 2010. Rogers also runs boat charters with his 33-year-old British partner, Ruth Finney. She admitted that Rogers knew co-suspect French, but refused to comment further. The South African owner of the Boma Bar, in Alhaurin el Grande, said Rogers was “a lovely guy, very sweet” who “comes into the bar now and then and he’s always very polite. I think I met his parents once or twice, when they were here on holiday”, the owner added. In May last year Muldoon was given a two-year suspended sentence in Spain after pleading guilty to a £9m telesales scam dating from 2001 to 2006.

Corrupt Casares Mayor released on bail

Ex-mayor of Casares Juan Sánchez has been released from prison after supporters raised 200,000 euros to bail him out. The supporters and members of the public managed to raise the money in just three days meaning Sánchez was in custody for less than a fortnight. Sánchez was arrested at his home in Manilva two weeks ago, along with his wife, in an joint operation between the National Police and Guardia Civil acting for the anti-corruption prosecutor. In total eleven people have been implicated relating to charges of town planning corruption, fraud, money laundering and involvement with organised crime groups. Juan Sánchez was mayor of Casares prior to becoming president of the association of town halls of the western Costa del Sol. He stepped down following last years elections and took up another mandate as the councillor for institutional relations and housing in Casares. He has since been suspended from his post. The operation was codenamed ‘Majestic’ after the property developers that are alleged to be at the heart of the case. Allegedly, as mayor Sr Sánchez allowed the Majestic Group to build a large urbanisation at Casares Costa.