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British father arrested in Spain after attacking his sleeping son with a hammer

A 70-year-old British man has been remanded into custody by a judge in Denia on Spain’s Costa Blanca for attempting to kill his son with a hammer as he slept.

Published: 20 April 2017 10:51 CEST

British father arrested in Spain after attacking his sleeping son with a hammer

Photo: Irochka/Depositphotos

The 20-year-old victim was sleeping in his bed when his father repeatedly hit him over the head with a hammer. When his mother attempted to stop the brutal attack, her husband turned on her.

Police were called to their residence outside the Costa Blanca town of Denia on Sunday morning after neighbours heard screaming and saw the man struggling his wife in the doorway of their home.

When police reached the property they said they found the aggressor covered in blood and still carrying the hammer.

A trail of blood led officers to the bedroom where they found the couple’s son lying in bed with “serious head wounds”, according to a statement from the National Police.

He was taken to hospital where his injuries are described as “serious but not life threatening”. His mother was also treated for injuries.

The suspect, who has not been named, was remanded into custody without bail on Wednesday by a magistrate at court in Dénia and could face charges of attempted murder.

Although no motive for the attack has yet been given, investigators are considering the possibility that the aggressor “suffered a psychotic episode”.

According to news agency Efe, the couple and their son were not on holiday but had been living in the area for at least five months.

READ ALSO: German retiree fed to dog by wife in Mallorca

Dutch gang leader vanishes in Spain after accidental release

Karim Bouyakhrichan was arrested in January in Marbella, an upmarket tourist resort on Spain’s southern coast, along with five other members of the Mocro Maffia gang.

They are suspected of having bought 172 properties in Spain worth over €50 million ($53.5 million) to launder their gains from drug trafficking.

But the following month a court in the southern city of Málaga decided to grant him provisional release with judicial supervision, against the wishes of public prosecutors and the Spanish government. Judicial sources said Tuesday his whereabouts are now unknown.

“It is worrying news,” Justice Félix Bolaños told a news conference following a weekly cabinet meeting when asked about the case.

“I can’t comment on any court decisions, but I do trust that the state security forces will bring this person to justice as soon as possible,” he added.

The Málaga court said in its ruling granting Bouyakhrichan provisional release that the risk that he would flee could be avoided “with other less burdensome security measures” than pre-trial detention.

It imposed bail of €50,000, took away his passport and ordered him to report to the authorities twice a month.

Dutch extradition bid

At the same time Spain’s top criminal court was processing a request for Bouyakhrichan’s extradition to the Netherlands, where he is wanted for large-scale drug trafficking.

But it postponed its extradition proceedings because the Málaga court intended to put Bouyakhrichan on trial first for money laundering, court sources told AFP.

When the Netherlands provided more information to back its extradition request, the top court summoned him to testify and when he failed to appear a fresh warrant for his arrest was issued.

Vincent Veenman, a spokesman at the Dutch public prosecutor’s office in The Hague, said it was “unknown” to them why Bouyakhrichan had not been detained for extradition.

“We are currently awaiting a decision on the extradition request,” he added.

“Our experience with the Spanish justice system is that this cooperation is generally good. Dozens of suspects are handed over every year.”

Bouyakhrichan’s brother Samir, another leading member of the Mocro Maffia, was murdered in 2014 near Marbella, sparking a reorganisation of organised crime groups in the region.

The Mocro Maffia made international headlines in 2022 after it emerged that Dutch Crown Princess Amalia had been placed under heavy protection in response to fears of an attack by the group.

Dutch media reported earlier last week that the 20-year-old heir to the Dutch throne studied in Madrid after being forced to ditch plans to live in student accommodation in Amsterdam because of the threats.

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