The
OLIVE PRESS
Maddie suspect Bonnie Did Christian Brueckner have & Clyde a female accomplice? Page 8
Corruption appeal bid ANTI-CORRUPTION prosecutors are launching an appeal against a verdict that cleared 34 people of taking bungs over the awarding of an Orihuela waste disposal contract. Alicante Provincial Court in Elche acquitted the group, including former Orihuela PP mayors Monica Lorente and Jose Manuel Medina, of corruption charges. The Supreme court must decide if a new trial can be heard after prosecutors failed to get a conviction in the biggest-ever corruption trial to be held in Alicante Province. The court’s decision came after judges ruled that wiretaps of phone conversations were inadmissible, along with concerns over house searches and surveillance. The 34 people in the dock were accused of taking bribes worth millions of euros over the granting of the Orihuela waste contract dating back to 2006, in what became known as the Brugal case. Millionaire Orihuela businessman, Angel Fenoli, had been accused of being the ringleader and faced up to 37 years in jail if he had been found guilty. After hearing the verdict, Fenoli broke down in tears and said: “Justice has finally been done after 14 years.”
Corona comeback
SPAIN’S COVID-infections have tripled since July 3. They have risen from 8.76 for every 100,000 inhabitants to an alarming 27.39. This is the same number of cases as when Spain first began de-escalation in May. Aragon, Catalunya and the Basque Country have all experienced outbreaks of concern. Controls have been put in place, while some confinement measures have been issued. Wear it or pay up P5
Your expat
voice in Spain
COSTA BLANCA SUR / MURCIA FREE Vol. 1 Issue 19 www.theolivepress.es July 23rd - August 5th 2020
In the clear
But the family of tragic Kirsty Maxwell slam ‘flawed’ investigation and ‘disgusting’ way five men have been found innocent of her death THE family of a young holidaymaker who fell to her death from an apartment in Benidorm have slammed a court’s ruling not to appeal her death. They are convinced five Brits on holiday caused Kirsty Maxwell’s death in April, 2017. A private detective who looked into the case described the decision as flawed. However, a panel of judges in Alicante ruled that there was no ‘strong evidence’ of criminality. They added there was nothing to indicate the 27-year-
By Andy McInnes & Dilip Kuner
old, from Scotland, had not jumped to her death following an alcohol-fuelled hen night with friends. The five lads on holiday, all from Nottingham, were accused of spiking her with cocaine and pushing her to her death. She had mistakenly entered a 10th floor room at the Apartamentos Payma hotel, instead of her friends’ neighbouring apartment. It comes after Kirsty’s grieving family hired retired CID
E
detective David Swindle to conduct their own investigation into after vital evidence was lost and police failed to preserve the scene of the investigation from contamination.
Shortcoming
Mr Swindle, concluded the investigation was seriously ‘flawed’ and added it was ‘disgusting’ the family had to find out through the media that there would be no further probe. He said: “There has been no consideration given to
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Kirsty’s family in this, and for them to find out like this has compounded their grief. It is disgusting. “The family has been let down just as they have been let down throughout the investigation. The Spanish police did not manage the scene, significant witnesses, exhibits and evidence as would be expected for such a tragic loss of a young life in unexplained, confusing circumstances. “Kirsty and her family appear to have been let down by apparent i rretrievable shortcomings in Spanish police, forensic and crime investigation procedures which may have resulted in evidence being lost.” Kirsty’s parents Brian and Denise Curry had appealed a Spanish judge’s decision last September to shelve a criminal probe into her death. The three judges based at Section Two of Alicante’s Provincial Court ruled that she was ‘affected by alcohol’ and after consuming the equivalent of 10 spirits the night before, appears to have left her apartment 9A and voluntarily entered 10E where the five men were.
SAD: Kirsty and hotel “Nothing points to the contrary,” it said. “Although it is true cocaine was found in the bathroom and the dead woman’s fingerprints were discovered on an interior bathroom window, it has not been possible to obtain strong evidence of specific and individualised criminality.” The five men - Joseph Graham, Ricky Gammon, Anthony Holehouse, Callum Northridge and Daniel Bailey - will not face any further charges. Their lawyer, Roberto Sanchez, said: “I am very happy with the court decision and I imagine my clients are looking forward to putting all this behind them.” Kirsty’s dad blasted the decision, saying: “We were not told the appeal had been lost, and now we are having to go to the court to find out what has happened. For us not to have been shown the courtesy of being kept informed is appalling. “All we have asked for is the truth and yet again the opportunity to get to the heart of what happened to Kirsty has been denied to us.” Opinion Page 6
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