Simon Hunter
A 64-year-old British woman was murdered in the early hours of Sunday morning in the Alicante municipality of Orihuela. Early reports on Sunday suggested that the killing may have been a domestic violence case and that the aggressor was the woman’s husband, a 69-year-old British man.
According to news agency EFE, the Civil Guard was called to the scene at 4am by a neighbour, where they found the victim already dead from several stab wounds.
The husband was arrested by the officers on the scene, and also had a stab wound to his stomach, the central government’s regional delegation in Valencia told The Olive Press. He was taken to a hospital for treatment of his injuries.
The delegation stated that the couple were retired and had been living in Spain since 2017.
The central government’s delegate in Valencia, Pilar Bernabé, told reporters on Sunday that the suspect has been on the VioGen gender violence database for a case that was opened by the Civil Guard in 2019.
The probe was shelved the following year, however, after the victim failed to file a police report nor take legal action.
For now, however, the case is under investigation by the Civil Guard, who are yet to confirm whether the killing was a domestic violence case.
If this is confirmed, the number of women killed in Spain by their partners or ex-partners this year will reach 11, for a total of 1,195 victims since 2003 when current records began.
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