NABBED LAWRENCE SUSPECT TOLD POLICE HE WAS ITALIAN TOURIST
STEPHEN Lawrence murder suspect Jamie Acourt tried to convince cops he was an innocent Italian tourist when they nicked him at a gym in Spain.
Fugitive Acourt, 41 – wanted in connection with a £4million drugs plot – was lifted by undercover officers who had been posing as keep-fit fanatics.
The five-strong squad moved in silently on the tanned muscular Brit as he ate lunch in the restaurant adjoining the Metropolitan Sagrada Familia Gym in Barcelona after two years on the run.
Handcuffed
Acourt, a Londoner, tried to convince them he was an Italian. But he was handcuffed without a struggle and led off under a European Arrest Warrant.
It is thought he led a carefree life in Spain, using frequent changes of identity and location to blend in with expats and holidaymakers.
“He had moved around a lot and used false names. Undercover officers were used to make sure it was the right man,” a source said.
He had frequently been seen around the gym lifting weights, lounging in the hot tub, checking his phone and casually scanning newspapers. A witness to the swoop at 1.30pm on Friday, 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 seemed to say a word. It was a bit eerie.”
Acourt first gained notoriety as one of five suspects investigated over the racist murder of 18-yearold Stephen in Eltham, South East London, in 1993.
In 2016 he became one of the UK’S most wanted fugitives after going on the run accused of being linked to a massive cannabis ring. 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.
Acourt is already thought to have faced an extradition hearing by videolink. The outcome was not known last night.