Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Bully is jailed for abusing mum-to-be
Magaluf cracks down on UK tourists but fails to curb antisocial behaviour
THE first man convicted under a new law of controlling his pregnant partner’s life has been jailed after ignoring a judge’s leniency.
Bully Sam Williams, 29, resumed his abuse despite receiving a suspended sentence 15 months ago.
He threatened to “slash up” his victim, monitored her social media and phone, flooded her with texts and forced her to walk barefoot, Stoke crown court heard.
The victim claimed Williams has “destroyed her life” and prosecutor Laura Nash said: “He was heavily dependent on cocaine.”
Williams, of Fegg Hayes, Stoke, who admitted controlling behaviour and intimidation, was jailed for 27 months and given an indefinite restraining order stopping any contact. ROWDY behaviour in Magaluf has soared despite a clampdown on boozed-up tourists from the UK.
With the holiday season now in full swing, police attended 1,672 calls in May and June – up 400 on last year.
The rise comes after extra officers were put on the streets to enforce a long list of strict behaviour rules introduced by the Majorcan party town three years ago.
This week exasperated local officials went a step further by announcing plans to limit all-inclusive booze offers at hotels.
Biel Barcelo, vice-president of the Balearic Government, said it would be part of new laws being drawn up to put a stop to “anything goes” tourism.
He hopes they will help stop the drunken binges, fights and antisocial behaviour the resort is infamous for.
Mr Barcelo said: “We do not want this type of tourism, we must carry out the necessary actions to put an end to this kind of uncivic tourism. This is why we have demanded from the government the maximum involvement and maximum co-ordination.”
Mr Barcelo met with representatives of 18 institutions and bodies yesterday to discuss other potential measures. According to figures from the mayor’s office, police responded to 687 calls relating to bad behaviour in June.
The most common was illegal street selling, with 472 incidents. There were 21 cases of boozing in the street, 46 of drug-taking and 18 of people having sex in public. Nudism accounted for 40 cases, while massages on the beach – also banned – resulted in 17 complaints. Tourists who break the town’s rules can be fined between 100 and 3,000 euros – £88 to £2,640. The 64 banned activities range from the obvious – such as urinating, spitting and public nudism – to the more unusual, like climbing trees and using soap in public showers.
Bars can also face fines for serving alcohol to people who are already drunk, while owners must “ensure good order”.