Spanish block Kirsty death witnesses list
Documentary tells of investigation hitches
THE release of a list of potential witnesses to the suspicious death of Kirsty Maxwell has been blocked by Spanish authorities. The manager of a hotel overlooking the Benidorm apartments where newly-wed Kirsty plunged to her death has said she is willing to hand over a guest list from that day but has been prevented by Spanish courts. Kirsty, 27, from Livingston, plunged from a 10th-floor balcony shortly after accidentally entering another room, occupied by five men from Nottingham, at Apartamentos Payma hotel.
Guests from the Hotel Presidente, opposite the Payma apartments, were said to have shouted to police about a woman dangling from a balcony but officers didn’t follow the lead.
Investigators hired by Kirsty’s parents Denise and Brian Curry are desperate to trace and speak to the guests, particularly an English-speaking couple who saw her dead body by the Payma’s pool.
In a MTV documentary – True Life Crime UK: Hen Night Horror – Hotel Presidente manager Gabrielle Cowell said about 30 rooms looked onto the area where Kirsty fell on April 29, 2017.
Cowell said guests “may have” had a good view of the incident but can’t release names because of Spanish data protection. She said: “When we have a court order, we’ll be able to release details of the guests.”
Spanish courts have refused repeated requests from the Currys. As the family prepare to mark the fourth anniversary of her death, Brian said: “The hotel manager is willing to hand over the list but the courts just want Kirsty’s case swept under the carpet.
“The investigation into her death has been a shambles from the start.
“It’s an embarrassment the Spanish authorities wish would go away. That’ll never happen.”
The men in the apartment – Daniel Bailey, Ricky Gammon, Joseph Graham, Anthony Holehouse and Callum Northridge – have denied any involvement in her death and can offer no explanation why she entered their apartment. ● True Life Crime UK is on MTV, on Wednesday at 10pm.
THE Kirsty Maxwell charity was launched to give advice to families whose loved ones die abroad. Her family claim they were offered no support in the wake of her death. To donate or for advice, go to kirstymaxwellcharity.co.uk