Fossils and amphorae confiscated at castle shop

(Photo: Guardia Civil)

CASTELLAR Members of the Seprona nature conservation unit of the Guardia Civil recently confiscated ten amphorae and the same number of ammonite fossils, some of which are quite large, at a souvenir shop in the castle, where they on display for sale. Seprona carries out routine inspections of such shops as part of its function as a protector of items of historical interest. The fossils come under the protection of laws related to wild native species - these, fossilised sea life, are presently considered extinct although there are plenty to be found embedded in rock in various places throughout Los Alcornocales Nature Park. The amphorae, usually of Roman origin and used for transporting wine and other liquids, are under the aegis of Historical and Patrimonial laws. The items are now being inspected by experts from the Culture and Environment Council of Andalucía.

Mother of baby found in freezer goes free

Where it happened

TENERIFE The duty judge at a court that first looked into the matter of a baby found dead last Friday inside a freezer at its mother's home in the La Camella district of Tenerife. The woman, 33, was arrested on Saturday shortly after midnight, and charged with homicide. At the Guardia Civil station she said she had given birth to the child at her home, alone, at night, and she did not know if the baby had been born alive or not. The corpse was found with umbilical chord and placenta attached and no visible signs of violence. On releasing her, the judge said that he had to wait for the autopsy to be completed. The matter has caused much consternation in the media.

Head teacher, a priest, arrested on sexual abuse charges

CÁDIZ The head teacher, a priest, at a school in Cádiz was arrested yesterday for alleged sexual abuse against over a dozen minors between the ages of 12 and 14. According the National Police, the investigation began with a denuncia (complaint) from the parents of a boy, a student at the school, at the police station on July 11. Soon after, several more complaints were made, after which the Family Unit of the police began questioning teachers and staff at the school, which resulted in F.J.L.L., 40, being arrested on Tuesday afternoon. The alleged perpetrator is now 'at the disposal of the courts', accused of crimes against 'moral integrity' and 'sexual indemnity'. Sources close to the order to which he belonged (Salesianos, no English equivalent we can find), say he was fired from his job as soon as it heard about his arrest. Police sources say that there could be several more victims, all of whom were students at the school, and some of whom have reported they were subject to severe corporal punishment as well as sexual molestation.

Gotcha! Another one bites the dust on the Costa

Mark Lilley, One of the UK's most wanted criminals, caught at a (his?) villa in Alhaurín de la Torre, Málaga.

Rapist leaves prison under 'chemical castration'

Martínez Singul

BARCELONA Alejandro Martínez Singul, will be leaving the prison, where he has spent the last three years, tomorrow. He had been sentenced to, and has completed, three years after being found guilty of the attempted rape of a 12-year-old girl. He was previously sentenced to 65 years for 10 rapes, for which he paid the maximum time of 16 years. He has never been allowed out because of fears that he would reoffend due to his uncontrollable sexual desire. However, he has been taking part voluntarily in a programme that includes the use of chemicals that inhibit sexual desire, as well as intensive psycho- therapy.

Arrested for setting 96 baits to poison dogs

(Illustration only)

ALGECIRAS A man was arrested recently for wrapping poison in cold meats and setting them out for dogs to eat. The Seprona unit of the Guardia Civil was alerted when the owner of one victim had to take his dog to vet as an emergency, who reported it. The man, who lives in the Pelayo section above Algeciras, is accused of setting 96 baits in the area. Officers of Seprona's Canine Unit carried out an investigation along the Cañada Real in Pelayo, which eventually led to the bait and poison being found inside a car owned by the accused. The bait contained poison certified as extremely and highly toxic by the World Health Organization.

Gotcha! Spanish National Police nab Britain's most wanted criminal

Andrew Moran, 31, has been on the run for four years after he escaped from the dock during his trial in February 2009 for a  £25,000 armed robbery of Royal Mail guards in Lancashire in 2005. The National Police (Policía Nacional) nabbed Moran, from Salford, Manchester, while he was sunbathing in an area known as the “Costa del Crime” – a favoured hideout of British criminals. The UK's Serious Organised Crime Agency had Moran on their most wanted list, with police described him as a “violent thug”. (See also Plastic surgery helped 'most wanted' fugitive evade arrest.)

Arrested for bursting into a Jimena feria marquee on horseback; breaks Guardia's wrist

(Illustration only)

JIMENA  A man - well-known in Jimena for being a trouble-maker - was arrested at last week-end's feria after bursting into one of the marquees (caseta) on horseback. He is accused of public disorder and endangering the public, among other things, including breaking the wrist of one of the Guardia Civils in the process of arresting him. According to reports, the man had been bothering everybody, riders and public alike, when he was drinking on foot inside the caseta. He then went out, mounted and drove his panicking horse inside, thus endangering everyone present. When the Guardia came onto the scene, he began insulting and threatening them. He allegedly managed to get a rein around one of the Guardias and pulled on it, breaking his wrist. He was finally restrained and led away. He is now 'at the disposal of the courts'.

Bullfighter sent to jail for killer car accident

Ortega Cano receives
his sentence

SEVILLA Retired bullfighter, breeder and celebrity José Ortega Cano was condemned to two years, six months and one day in jail for the fatal car accident of May 28, 2011 in which the driver of the other car, Carlos Parra, was killed. Although Ortega Cano insisted in his defence that he had obeyed all road signs and speed limits, and had not had anything stronger than a soft drink -although he admitted he had 'wet his lips' with cava- his blood alcohol level was way over the limit. His lawyer alleged that the 'chain of custody' of blood sample had been broken at the Virgen Macarena Hospital in Sevilla, where he had been attended to, and was thus not trusted as proof. José Ortega Cano is a frequent presence in the celebrity-prone media because he was married to singing star Rocío Jurado, who died in 2006, and with whom he adopted two children. Retired as a matador some years ago, he became a biological father in February this year with his present partner Ana María Aldón. Ortega Cano has announced he will appeal.

Biggest ever hash haul caught at port

(Photo: Guardia Civil)

ALGECIRAS The Guardia Civil detachment at the Port of Algeciras on Monday uncovered almost 33 tons of hash hidden inside a truck supposedly transporting fruit that was coming into Spain from Tangier. This is the largest haul ever taken on land and is almost double the total taken in the whole of last year. The illicit drug was hidden behind a screen behind two pallets of melons, which is what the lorry's manifest said it was transporting. On another matter (and in another article) importers of perishable goods, meeting at the Reina Cristina Hotel, are asking for less or lighter inspections at the Customs shed.

50 arrested in fashion fraud

(Photo: Guardia Civil)

CADIZ The Guardia Civil recently broke up one of Spain's largest organizations dedicated to the sale of false fashion merchandise, which distributed more than 350,000 items last year. The network was unraveled following the discovery -one of many but none as substantial as this, yet- of false well-known brands of clothing at a street market in the provincial capital. Most of the stallholders were from Morocco or Sub-Sahara countries; they were at the bottom end of the organization. The GC also uncovered fake merchandise valued at €2,184,000 at several locations in Andalucía as well as in Extremadura. Some €20,000 in cash was also discovered and confiscated, as were several vehicles, computers and other material proof of the crimes.

Man knifed at Jimena station

JIMENA A Moroccan immigrant lays severely injured in the La Línea hospital after being attacked with a knife at the railway station by what are reported to be two fellow countrymen. Although there is very little news on the subject, it is known that yesterday the man had not yet been questioned. According to sources at the Guardia Civil, the incident seems to indicate a settling of scores.

Guilty of abusing his children, aged 3 and 9, father makes a deal on prison term

Holguer J. in court

PALMA DE MALLORCA Holguer J., a 34-year-old German admitted he had consistently sexually abused his children a girl of 9 and a boy of 3 on repeated occasions. He also admitted to abusing his one-time step-daughter, aged 6. In a deal with the prosecution, he accepted a sentence of 17 years in jail. The trial lasted 15 minutes as the accused had already come to the agreement, although he did make use of his right to speak to apologise to the victims. (WARNING: the rest of this story may not be suitable for minors.)>>>

Policeman arrested for holding up a petrol station

(Illustration only)

The man gave himself up after robbing a bank in Jaén in 2010

SAN ROQUE The Guardia Civil on Sunday arrested a man accused of 'robbery with intimidation' at a petrol station near Estepona in December last year. He turned out to be a Local Police man from San Roque, who perpetrated a €600 bank robbery in Jaén in December 2010, and handed himself in at the time, according to Europa Sur. He was also suspected, but unproven, to have robbed a bank in Marbella in the same way: threatening staff with a broken bottle. The GC say that those crimes may have been related to drug usage. We wonder what excuse there may be now.

Twenty-five brothel owners arrested in police operation

Platinium brothel, Los Cortijillos (Los Barrios)

Establishments in Cádiz, Sevilla, Huelva and Córdoba are closed · Platinium Club in Los Cortijillos is one of them

SEVILLA A network of six brothels located in Andalucía were closed on the instructions of a court in Sevilla. There are 25 people arrested and another 50 on various charges. All of the detained went before the judge, and all made use of their right not to speak. Among them are a former PSOE Councillor of Ayamonte, Huelva, and the president of the Chamber of Commerce there. Most of them have had their ID documents and passports confiscated, so they can't leave the country, and they must report to the court regularly. Charges variously include belonging to a criminal organization, several degrees of crimes related to prostitution, tax evasion, money laundering, against the rights of foreigners, traffic of influence and in human beings.

Jimena man arrested for sexual abuse on Internet

JIMENA The Guardia Civil has arrested D.H.M., 23, accused of sexual abuse of a minor through Internet. According to a GC communiqué, investigations began in November, when a minor from León reported that she had been the victim of coercion and threats, also known as grooming, by a young man living in Jimena. He had arranged a personal meeting with his victim but this never took place because of the police intervention. Given the fact that things were getting nasty, the girl, 16, went to the Police in León to report the situation. It was decided that the man needed to be taken into custody as soon as possible. Although he is from Jimena, he was arrested in La Línea and is now 'at the disposal' of the courts in León.

Five arrested in agricultural equipment robberies

(Photo: Guardia Civil)

CAMPO DE GIBRALTAR The Guardia Civil has noted a considerable increase in robberies from farms and other agricultural enterprises in the area, as well as in that of copper cables and diesel oil. This is principally in the municipalities of San Roque and Jimena, where five people were arrested when suspicions were aroused by the presence of vehicles not usually seen near farms in the area. They were followed to the entrance to a scrap yard near San Roque, where they were stopped. Uncovered in the vehicles were lengths of copper cable, pumps and tanks full of diesel oil. Further investigation linked the five to>>>

Three arrests in Europa Point shooting incident

RGP divers working at the crime scene
(Photo: chronicle.gi)

GIBRALTAR The RGP yesterday confirmed that three men had been arrested for their alleged participation in the shooting incident at Europa Point last Tuesday, when an 38-year-old off-duty member of the Gibraltar Defence Police was shot in the stomach. The RGP says that the incident does not appear to be related to the man's employment. The three men helping the RGP with their enquiries are aged 32, 34 and 37. Investigations at the crime scene, including divers, have found a gun, which is presently being tested for any connection with the incident. Searches were carried out at four homes, two shops, two business premises and a garage. Another firearm was found at one of the homes. The victim is still in hospital in Cadiz, and is conscious and in stable condition.

Shooting incident at Europa Point

(Photo:chronicle.gi)

GIBRALTAR (Gibraltar Chronicle) Three men have been arrested after the Europe Point shooting incident yesterday. The victim, an off duty GDP officer is in a critical condition. Police said the incident is thought to be an "isolated one". The RGP issued a statement this morning: "Police are investigating an incident at Europa Point which occurred shortly after 16.50hrs on the 15th January 2013 where a 38 year old local man suffered a gun shot wound. The victim was transferred to St Bernard’s Hospital where after initial treatment he was transferred to Hospital Puerta del Mar in Cadiz, Spain, for further specialist treatment.>>>

No official statement about the alleged rape in Jimena

Alcalá de los Gazules,
where the incident occurred

JIMENA An incident that occurred a week ago last Friday, January 5, has been making the rounds of the village and beyond. The rumour mill is working overtime yet little can be confirmed through official channels. While we have not spoken directly to the alleged victim herself, we are able to identify her. Her name, address or any other identifying fact will never be published by us unless it is first done so in an official statement or with her expressed permission. Only the following is confirmed: the incident happened in Alcalá de los Gazules, where three young men -- two of them from Jimena, the other from Algeciras -- sexually abused an expat resident of Jimena, a British girl, very violently. The young girl, who is not under age, is at present not in hospital and is recovering at home. Neither the police nor the Guardia Civil will say if the alleged perpetrators are in jail or not. It is the opinion of several people close to both the alleged victim and the alleged perpetrators, that a situation got out of hand thanks in good part to an excess of drink and drugs. And that is all we will be saying about this until there is an official communiqué on the subject.