By Maeve Gorman and Karrissa Key
HE had fallen in love with Spain when an overnight stay in 1970 led to a year living in a classic white village.
But when Australian architect Robert Marshall, 80, decided to retire here half a century later, things took a distinct turn for the worse.
Indeed, his move to idyllic Jimena de la Frontera, in Andalucia has turned into a ‘three-year nightmare’ after a squatter took control of his home, forcing him to hire a bodyguard.
It came after a local goatherd agreed to pay him €20,000 a year to farm a third of his stunning 64-acre estate, El Polvorin.
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Bought for €1 million in 2022, Marshall, from Melbourne, had initially got on well with Juan Ruiz, 38, who set up a milking operation for his goats in a shed attached to the farmhouse.
But soon the charismatic Spaniard took control of the estate and a year later claimed the property as his own and padlocked all the doors and gates.
After legal action a court ordered Ruiz to remove the locks, but the intimidation did not stop there.
“He filmed me wherever I went and spat at me whenever I approached,” Marshall, who was also a councillor for 20 years, told the Olive Press.
“Next he ransacked my belongings, stole my car and filed police complaints against anyone who came near the farm,” he continued.
Things got so heated, the expat was forced to buy a small home in the nearby village and even ‘hired a bodyguard to protect’ himself.
When Marshall removed some video cameras overlooking his patio and bedroom, he was accused of theft and eventually found guilty in court.
Incredibly, while a different judge eventually ordered the Guardia Civil to disconnect the squatter’s electricity, he immediately reconnected it.
Under Spanish squatter laws, until he’s been evicted Marshall must continue paying his electricity bill so he can continue his goat milk business.
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“That is around €400 a month, on top of the hundreds I pay for water,” Marshall told the Olive Press. “I have not had a single cent from him and have spent over €25,000 in legal fees to get him out,” he added.
It is little wonder the former architect – who ran his own practice designing dozens of schools and churches – spent six days recently in hospital for stress and is taking anxiety medication.
While Marshall has finally won a court case against the squatter he must wait another six months before getting an order to have him evicted.
“I have no idea when this nightmare is going to end,” he said. “It was my dream to live out my final years on a farm in Jimena, but that dream has been stolen by a squatter.”
Click here to read more Andalucia News from The Olive Press.
