Gibraltar news
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1 GibraltarMarch 1st - MarchGibraltar 14th 2017 food & drink classifieds
The Rock’s original community newspaper
Brexit Bale out Real Madrid star urged to join expat battle by leading British journalist Giles Tremlett Page 6
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On the up for Kayley Miss Gib Kayley Mifsud is set to take a stiff Med Steps challenge for charity PAGE 3
Vol. 3 Issue 39 www.gibraltarolivepress.com March 1st - March 14th 2017
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From spas to bars Ex-Marbella Belle banged up over Gibraltar fraud charges
EXCLUSIVE By Joe Duggan
A FORMER TV star has been charged with six counts of fraud. ITV Marbella Belle Louise Marriott, 51, has been refused bail, after being charged with false representation and declarations. The close pal of Lady Diana’s former lover James Hewitt was arrested over her running of Gibraltar’s City International School of Beauty, at City Spa, in City Mill Lane. She is accused of conning clients out of £15,500. The reality TV actress, who moved from Marbella to Gibraltar a few years ago, is accused of running spa classes without correct accreditation. "There are six complaints that she is not accredited to run these courses," said prosecuting lawyer Sharon Peralta at a magistrates court hearing. "Full accreditation can only
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FACING TRIAL: Marriott at City Spa and (right) with James Hewitt come through the correct strength of an address that was previously involved exams which were due to does not exist. with a health business happen later this year when Her application for bail was in Marbella called Posh, an examiner comes to Gi- denied and the case was ad- alongside her ex-partner, braltar." journed until March 21. a wealthy British restauraMarriott's bank account "If she is convicted she teur, now based in Malaga. with £2,000 in it has been could be looking at a con- Marriott, the former partfrozen by the police. siderable prison sentence," ner of a senior figure of the The court also heard that said Peralta. coast’s Ferrari club, she Marriott had applied for The Olive Press can reveal drove a Mercedes 4x4 and a Gibraltar ID card on the that the mother-of-three is believed to own property in Sotogrande and the UK. A former co-star of the hit ITV show Marbella Belles, described her as ‘stylish and outgoing’. “Louise was always out with the high rollers,” said Barbara Fawcett, 55. “She always had her hair done immaculately.” She continued: “It was no surprise when she ended up growing close to James. He was then the manager of the Polo House restaurant in Marbella and she was there quite a lot. “They seemed to get on very well.” One former Gibraltarian co-worker of Marriott’s said he was ‘surprised’ at her arrest’. “She was as good as gold and very reliable,” he said.
Our moral duty THE UK government has a ‘moral responsibility’ to Gibraltar during Brexit negotiations, a crucial House of Lords report insists. The 39-page study ruled that Downing Street should work hard to protect both the economy and sovereignty of the Rock. In the Brexit: Gibraltar report the European Union Committee insisted that at no point should No.10 ‘enter sovereignty discussions’ against Gibraltar’s will. The peers also urged the government to ‘remain alert’ to Spanish ‘encroachment’ over sovereignty and to clarify how a potential loss of EU funding could be compensated. “The Government has a moral responsibility to ensure Gibraltar’s voice is heard, and its interests respected, throughout the Brexit process.
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“We strongly endorse the Government’s commitment never to enter into sovereignty discussions against the will of the Gibraltarian people.” The report, compiled over several months, comes after the Lords heard evidence from leading figures, including Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and Port Authority chief, Bob Sanguinetti. In particular it stressed the loss of single market access would ‘have negative consequences for Gibraltar’s economy, at least in the short term’. The Lords peers called on the UK, Gibraltar, Spain and the EU to ‘work together to secure an agreement that reflects all their economic interests’. It added: “The Government should give early thought to how such a structure might be established, what role the EU might play, and should seek agreement on this in tandem with Brexit negotiations.” The report noted Gibraltar will have received €60 million in EU funds by 2020, but it was unclear what would happen afterwards.