NO ANSWERS TO KIRSTY'S DEATH
British suspects' lawyer claims it was 'an unfortunate accident' after they appeared in court
FOUR of the five men investigated over the death of 26-year-old Scottish holidaymaker Kirsty Maxwell in April attended Benidorm court on Wednesday morning to answer questions on the case.
Ricky Gammon, Anthony Holehouse, Callum Northridge and Daniel Bailey were summoned for a private hearing to give their version of events and fill in the gaps of what happened on that fateful night at Apartmentos Payma, where Kirsty fell to her death. The fifth man, Joseph Graham, was detained for 48 hours following the incident and had already given his statement at the time and so was not required to attend.
On entering court the men attempted to cover their faces as they were confronted by a barrage of questions from both Spanish and British media.
The husband and family of Kirsty, who was part of a 20-strong hen party group, are still looking for an explanation as to what caused her to plunge to her death from the men’s 10th-floor apartment window at 07.51 on April 29. A post mortem report read out in court revealed no signs of a struggle, violence or assault, nor any traces of drugs. But tests did show a significantly high alcohol level – over five-and-a-half times the Spanish drink-drive limit.
Such a high quantity of alcohol in the system causes disorientation, confusion and exaggerated emotions such as panic attacks, which is compatible with the police report that “for unknown reasons she pan- icked upon entering the men's apartment, initially trying to escape out of the bathroom window, then having failed, saw the partially open sliding door and leapt out". They likened her situation to 'a woman trapped in a burning building with no choice but to jump in terror'.
The judge ruled that there are no indications that the group had any involvement in Kirsty’s death.
The men’s lawyer, Roberto Sánchez, answered questions outside the courthouse after the hearing. He told both Judge Ana Isabel Garcia-Galbis and reporters that it was 'a tragic unfortunate accident'.
A request by the Maxwell family lawyer made to detain the group in custody was turned down by the judge and the men, who have not been charged with any offences over Kirsty’s death, were free to go, pending further enquiries.
The evidence will be reviewed as part of an ongoing criminal investigation before deciding if the men should stand trial.
It was reported that the four men only answered questions from their lawyer, refusing to comment on questions from the lawyer representing the Maxwell family.