GIBRALTAR NEWS
www.gibraltarolivepress.com
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GIBRALTAR CULTURE
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1 GIBRALTAR GIBRALTAR July 5th - July 18th 2017 BUSINESS CLASSIFIEDS
The Rock’s original community newspaper FREE
Vol. 3 Issue 48 www.gibraltarolivepress.com
July 5th - July 18th 2017
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www.century21gibraltar.com Century21 Tel: 00 350 200 51020 202-204 Main Street Mob: 00 350 56523000 Gibraltar info@century21gibraltar.com
Moroccan man charged with New Harbours armed robbery
Costa Gwyn
Gwyneth Paltrow spotted enjoying family time on the Costa
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One year on
Taking stock of the first 12 months after the Brexit vote
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It stinks!
Gibraltar’s sewage problem needs urgent attention
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See the light
The Costa de la Luz in all of its glory
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KIDNAP DRAMA EXCLUSIVE By Laura Duckett
A NEW Harbours robbery suspect is demanding justice after two of his friends were allegedly kidnapped and tortured following his arrest. The Gibraltarian father, who we cannot name for legal reasons, found himself at the centre of a high-profile criminal investigation, which he claims has led to two kidnappings and grave threats to his family. Speaking exclusively to the Olive Press, he claims two of his friends, 18 and 16, were snatched in the space of a few days following his arrest and consequent release. The unnamed man, in his 20s, revealed that the teenagers were tortured in connection to the robbery, which is understood to have ended in the seizure of 1.5m pounds, from a warehouse in New Harbours Indus-
Two teens tortured and father’s life in chaos after ‘wrongful’ arrest over £1.5 million robbery
trial Estate. “One of the kids turned up at my house on Sunday with a broken hand and foot and p***ing blood,” he revealed this week. “Two guys kidnapped him, stepped on his legs and feet and hands and asked him if he knew where the millions were.” He claims the men then threw the 16-year-old out of the window of his flat. “Thank god he lives on the first floor,” he said, adding: “He hobbled to the hospital saying he'd fallen off a bike because he was terrified to tell the truth, but when he came to my house and told me I called the police,” he added. It was the second alleged kidnapping following the young man’s own arrest for his alleged involvement in the armed robbery in the early evening
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CRIME SCENE: New Harbours Industrial Estate of June 21. In dramatic fashion, the 29-year-old was woken up at 1am by armed police, the next morning. “They arrived out of nowhere with assault rifles,” he said. “At first I didn’t realise who it was so I called the police and told them there were men outside my house with rifles. “I was s**t scared. They said I had apparently taken £1.5 million.” Although he admitted he has
been in trouble in the past for minor offences, the suspect, who remains on bail, insisted he has changed his ways and has not been in trouble with the police for the past six years. “I got in trouble as a kid smuggling tobacco but I have changed my life, and now they whack this on me - I have suddenly gone up the ranks in the criminal underground,” said the father-of-one. “I just want a normal life, and justice for my friends.” Last night, the police confirmed they were still probing the case and that ‘all lines of investigation are still open’. They added that they have recovered a ‘substantial’ sum of money and have since arrested and charged a man, Rachid Behdraoui, a 51-year-old Moroccan national. He is accused of the robbery and possession of a firearm. They did not confirm if they were looking for anyone else, at this stage. Behdraoui’s application for bail was turned down on Monday, citing the seriousness of the offences and the fact he has no local ties and poses a flight-risk. He will appear at the Supreme Court on July 28.
Grave victory THE Government has answered the Olive Press’s call to clean up the North Front Cemetery. It comes after we launched our Give Them Respect campaign last issue to clean up the unkempt grounds following dozens of complaints from our readers. Works will begin on August 1, confirmed a government spokesman, after announcing monies had been put aside during the budget. Minister John Cortes revealed in his summary of the budget that a contract had been awarded ‘for the the upkeep and maintenance of the planted areas of the Cemetery’. He added that the maintenance programme has been prepared by the Department of the Environment in consultation with the Botanic Gardens. It comes a fortnight after OP readers, including Ivana Finlayson, complained that they could not reach the graves of their relatives due to the state of weeds and shrubbery. Last year we reported how a change.org petition had been launched to counter ‘years of neglect’, gaining more than 700 signatures, but it had garnered little attention from the government. Opposition MP Trevor Hammond fully-backed our campaign last issue, however he warned that the public’s concerns were ‘falling on deaf ears’. It comes after he tabled a motion to Parliament last November calling for the government to put together a management plan for the cemetery. Despite it passing unanimously, nothing was done about it until now. Opinion Page 6