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ISSUE NO. 1740
8 - 14 November 2018
Newspaper in Spain 2017 & 2018
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Death jump by Joe Gerrard A BRITISH teenager has died after he and his girlfriend allegedly struck a suicide pact which saw him plunge almost 20 metres to his death in Marbella. The 16-year-old, named as Richard Fitzsimons, and the 14-year-old climbed onto the roof of the El Corte Ingles department store in Puerto Banus at around 12pm last Friday. They had apparently threatened to end their lives on social media. Fitzsimons threw himself off the building but a security guard managed to wrestle the 14-year-old to the floor. Emergency services declared the 16-year-old dead after their arrival, according to reports. A spokesperson for El Corte Ingles said the store received a call alerting them to the pair. The caller is believed to be a friend’s mother. “Security guards were alerted and sadly they were too late to save the boy but were able to reach the girl in time. “It would appear she hesitated after experiencing a split-second of doubt,” the
‘SUICIDE PACT’: Paramedics said Fitzsimons died at the scene. spokesperson said. Police have since opened an investigation into the death which they are treating as suicide. The 14-year-old is said to be traumatised and sources said she may need counselling. Her friends reportedly became concerned after she posted on Instagram that she did not want to live any more. The post was followed by another which said she and
Fitzsimons were going to the store to end their lives, leading to the friends’ mother’s call. The pair attended Marbella’s Aloha College, an inter-
national school with several British expatriate students. The Samaritans helpline can be contacted on 900 525 100 in Spain and 116 123 in Britain.
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Crew sacking THE Ryanair airline has sacked six of its workers who posted a photograph on social media of themselves lying on the floor of Malaga Airport in protest against working conditions. The airline claimed the workers, employed as cabin crew members and based in Portugal, had breached their contract and committed serious misconduct when they shared the picture last month. They were dismissed last Monday and the company claimed its reputation had been damaged by the picture which they said was ‘staged.’ A trade union representing Ryanair staff said the photograph, which went viral and made headlines after it was taken on October 14, represented justified anger against the company. Trade unions have long criticised the airline
claiming it has refused to improve conditions for staff. The six crew members landed in Malaga Airport after they were diverted due to Hurricane Leslie on October 14. A total of 28 Ryanair workers had to spend the night in the airport’s crew room, with the airline claiming all hotels in the Malaga area were full. Six of the crew members took the picture while in the room. Ryanair said CCTV footage showed the workers had posed on the floor for the picture before then getting up. They were dismissed last Monday for gross misconduct and for tarnishing the company’s reputation, it said. The SNPVAC Portuguese airline workers’ union has said its legal team is now dealing with the case.