British woman killed
Husband, aged 69, arrested following deadly stabbing at couple's home
A BRITISH woman was stabbed to death in Orihuela Costa in the early hours of Sunday morning and her husband has been arrested and hospitalised with a knife wound.
The Guardia Civil received a call from a neighbour at about 04.00 and officers went to the couple’s home, where they found the body of the woman, who was 64, with several injuries, according to state news agency EFE.
Orihuela town hall and the regional government identified her only by her first names of Anne Marie.
Her husband, aged 69, who had a single knife wound to his stomach, tried to escape the house when the authorities arrived but was caught and arrested on suspicion of killing her, according to the Guardia Civil.
He was taken first to Torrevieja hospital and then hours later at about 13.30 to Vinalopó hospital in Elche for surgery with an uncertain prognosis.
The government’s representative in the Valencia region, Pilar Bernabé said he was under guard and his life was not thought to be in danger.
She noted that the husband is registered in the Viogen gender violence database for a case that was opened by the authorities in 2019, but it ended up being shelved the following year because the victim never followed it up by making an official accusation and therefore no court orders were imposed.
She also confirmed the victim had not accused him of domestic violence before and had no children under the age of 18.
“When he is in a fit condition his statement will be taken,” she said.
Based on the police and medical reports gathered so far, the case is being treated as gender violence.
This would bring the number of women killed by their partners or ex-partners in Spain this year to 11.
The couple have lived in Spain since 2017, sources working on the investigation told EFE.
A Spanish neighbour identified as Ana told EFE she had often heard the couple fighting, even with all the windows and doors closed.
She asserted that it was ‘very sad something like this had happened’ when she and other neighbours had often called the police to report that the couple were hitting each other, but the woman ‘has ended up dead because nothing was done’.
Another Spanish neighbour, called Amparo, also said the couple used to drink heavily and fight a lot, and claimed the wife had actually stabbed her husband in the neck and abdomen a few years ago.
She also said she had called the police once and officers came but the couple had spoken to them together so nothing could be done.
The neighbour assured that she had often seen the wife walking around the urbanisation in her underwear and had even spent one night in the urbanisation green area in the rain.
Minute’s silences were held in many towns and cities, on Tuesday, including Orihuela and Orihuela Costa, as well as Elche and Valencia, amongst others. The homage in Orihuela was attended by the full council, the government’s representative in the province, Araceli Poblador and the head
of her office’s violence against women unit, Modesta Salazar, as well as representatives of the security forces and residents.
Mayoress Carolina Gracia read a manifesto saying: “It is our duty to report and fight any form of sexism and work together to create a world in which everyone can live without fear, without being violent.
“There are no excuses for anyone, nobody can deny the fact that sexist violence kills, and ends life projects and families.”
She assured that gender violence ‘is a social problem rooted in sexist structures which promote inequality and control over women’.
Sra Poblador said sexism kills women of every social, economic and cultural background and ‘education is the best vaccine’.
In Alicante, regional president Ximo Puig said ‘how to end the ignominy of macho terrorism is the big question facing society’, while his deputy, Aitana Mas promised they will ‘keep working tirelessly and united’ to achieve this.