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Vol. 7 Issue 158
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Expats flee home after police fail to deal with years of abuse from neighbours EXCLUSIVE By Mason Jones dating,” said Ian Baker, 42, who runs an air conditioning business. Over the years the family have been burgled five times and had their home attacked over a dozen times. The final straw came when his van was set on fire a fortnight ago. He has now fled him home with his wife, Claire, 39, and his two
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EXHAUSTED: Baker with Harry and Zaria and Alhaurin children Zaria, 9, and Harry 12. “We moved out two weeks ago and the property has already been broken into again twice,” he added. “There seems to be no way of stopping them getting in. I have no idea what to do.” He claims his family are the third British family to leave the street after becoming victims of a gypsy community in the Bajondillo area of the town. He insists all attempts to talk to the group have failed. When he saw a group of youths shooting an air-rifle towards his house he told them to pack it in. “The next thing a bullet came through my son's window,” he said. He has been forced to go public on the situation as the police have failed to do anything to protect his family. “It just seems a waste of time contacting the police, there are so many break-ins in the area,” he added. Each time he has reported it the police have done nothing, he insists. “Clearly they are very understaffed.
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April 4 - April 18, 2013
Forced out A BRITISH family have been driven from their home after suffering ten years of attacks from their neighbours. The Baker family have been forced to flee their home in Alhaurin el Grande after a string of breakins and intimidating tactics that even included firing airgun pellets through a child's bedroom window. “We’ve had our front door set fire to, tyres slashed, windows broken and shot at, they are very intimi-
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When I called them to tell them my van had been torched they said they were busy on another job.” They were unable to use CCTV he had installed, as the footage was not clear enough to identify the perpetrators as they set fire to his van. Of the two other British owners who have fled, one house has been 'completely wrecked' while the other 'now has gypsies living in it!', claims Baker. A spokesman for the town hall insisted she was unable to comment on the case. Police were also unavailable for comment. Over the years the neighbourhood has seen various schemes to try and improve the relationship between the gypsy community and other locals. In 2006, €180,000 was allocated to improve Bajondillo and other surrounding areas, while in 2011 Mayor Juan Martin Seron called for ‘more solidarity and social balance’ between the gypsy community and other locals.
Junta boss was 'cashier' in ERE scandal JUNTA boss Jose Antonio Grinan has been accused of sanctioning the ERE slush fund scandal. The fraud – the biggest public money scam in Spanish history - saw a regional development fund used to pay bogus early retirement payments to up to 100 individuals, often for companies they had never even worked for. A further four people have been arrested in the scandal which the PP party believes could total up to one billion euros illegally syphoned off by Junta officials.
Embezzled
Grinan has now been forced to stand up for his 'honour and dignity' after PP boss Juan Zoido accused him of being the "cashier of the ERE" during his time as Finance Minister. He added that he must have known about the money that was syphoned off during his time in charge between 2004 and 2009. Fellow Employment Minister Francisco Guerrero - who masterminded the scheme that has so far seen €136m of public money embezzled - has now been jailed again without bail. Turn to page 14