LIFTED AS HE WAS LIFTING
Witness on ex Lawrence suspect arrest
STEPHEN Lawrence murder suspect Jamie Acourt was nicked at a luxury Spanish gym by cops pretending to be working out.
Fugitive Acourt, 41 – wanted in connection with a £4million drugs plot – was lifted by undercover officers who had been posing as keep-fit fanatics.
Witnesses to the arrest in Barcelona told how a five-strong squad moved in silently on the tanned Brit in a “pincer movement” as he ate lunch after his workout.
Bizarrely, South Londoner Acourt tried to convince them he was an innocent Italian tourist. But he was handcuffed without a struggle and led off under a European Arrest Warrant.
The swoop, which stemmed from a tip-off by Britain’s National Crime Agency, came just days after the 25th anniversary of Stephen’s stabbing.
Last night it emerged Acourt had faced a court extradition hearing by video link yesterday, the outcome of which was unclear.
Onlookers told how Acourt was nicked in the restaurant adjoining the Metropolitan Sagrada Familia Gym, close to the famous Barcelona church, after two years on the run.
He had frequently been seen around the gym lifting weights, lounging in the hot tub, checking his phone and casually scanning newspapers.
Expat Simon McDonald said: “I’ve been told police had been working out in the gym undercover to keep an eye on him. I was having lunch when I saw some big guys move in very quickly.”
Simon, originally from Leicester, added: “There was no drama and no one said a word. It was eerie.”
Another witness to the swoop at 1.30pm on Friday, Marc Montolio, 42, said: “He was led out by five officers with his hands cuffed behind his back and his head bowed.”
Gym customer Vladimir Petrov, 28, originally from Russia, said: “I’d seen him here a lot, usually during the day with two or three other guys, all lifting big weights.” Acourt fgained notoriety as one of five suspects probed over the racist murder of Stephen, 18, in Eltham, south-east London, in 1993. He was never charged. In 2016 he became one of the UK’s most wanted fugitives after going on the run accused of being at the forefront of a massive cannabis ring. It is thought he led a carefree life in Spain, using frequent changes of identity and location to blend in with legitimate expats and holidaymakers. A source said: “He had moved around a lot and used false names. Undercover officers were used to make sure it was the right man.” A spokesman for the gym said staff had not been warned about the operation in advance. patrick.hill@ trinitymirror.com