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Water thief leaves fun park high and dry

The manager of one of Europe's largest fun parks has been arrested for systematically stealing water for a number of years.

Published: 30 August 2013 12:23 CEST

Water thief leaves fun park high and dry

A water park in northern Spain. File photo: .Martin/Flickr

Mariano Valverde, manager of the Aquópolis water park in Villanueva de la Cañada in Madrid, was taken into custody on Thursday by the environmental protection unit of Spain's Civil Guard police force.

He is suspected of fraudulently using 400,000 cubic metres of water over five years — a fraud worth up to €500,000 ($666,000).

If found guilty, he could face heavy fines.

Valverde claimed to have been using water from underground wells managed by the authority which oversees the waters of the river Tajo.

But police now believe the park was actually siphoning water from the key Canal de Isabel II which provides water to the Community of Madrid.

The park has a water contract with Canal de Isabel II but hasn't used any of its water since 2008.

The Tajo river authorities, meanwhile, say they have never signed a contract with the water park.

Parques Reunidos, the company which operates the popular park, said in July that it had complied with all water laws.

The company operates 11 parks across Europe, with seven of those in Spain.

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Son of Spanish actor goes on trial over grisly Thai island murder

Chef Daniel Sancho Bronchalo, 29, pleaded not guilty at a hearing in November to the premeditated murder of 44-year-old Edwin Arrieta Arteaga on the nearby Koh Pha Ngan island.

The pair were reported by Spanish media to have connected on Instagram in 2022, with Sancho travelling to Thailand on July 31st as a tourist, where they met.

The trial opened Tuesday on the honeymoon isle of Koh Samui, with Sancho’s father, well-known Spanish actor Rodolfo Sancho, arriving at the court shortly after 8:30 am (0130 GMT).

Lawyer Juan Gonzalo Ospina Serrano, representing Arrieta’s family, told reporters during a break that Sancho had not shown any remorse inside the courtroom.

“Daniel does not recognise he has committed any kind of murder, not voluntary or otherwise,” he said, before adding: “It is a chilling image to see him cuffed by hands and feet.”

Ospina said earlier that the family hoped “Thai law will be forceful, that the truth can be told”.

Detained

Sancho has been in pre-trial detention in Thailand since August, after police said he had admitted to the murder.

Under Thai law, premeditated murder convictions carry the death penalty.

However, Arrieta’s family previously said they would not seek the death penalty.

Sancho has admitted to hiding Arrieta’s body – which carries up to a year in jail – but he denies the second charge of destroying the Colombian’s passport.

Sancho’s lawyer Apichart Srinual declined to answer reporters’ questions.

The Thai public prosecutor who filed the case against Sancho also declined to speak to the media at the court.

The trial is expected to last until mid-May, with scores of witnesses due to appear in court.

In August, police found body parts that are believed to belong to Arrieta at a rubbish dump in Koh Pha Ngan.

CCTV footage obtained by local media showed Sancho and the victim on a motorcycle together shortly before the remains were discovered.

Police said at the time Sancho’s motive for the killing was unclear.

Koh Pha Ngan is famed for its white sandy beaches and draws thousands of backpackers to its notoriously wild “full moon” parties.

In 2017, another Spaniard, Artur Segarra, was convicted of murdering a businessman in Bangkok and discarding dismembered body parts into the Chao Phraya River.

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