Man arrested over Brit's murder hauled to Costa Blanca court in handcuffs
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The man arrested on suspicion of Belfast man John George’s murder has been hauled to court in handcuffs. The 32-year-old scowled as he was led into the court building in the Costa Blanca town of Torrevieja flanked by two armed police officers. He was appearing before an investigating judge in a behind-closed-doors hearing this morning, with a decision expected later today on whether he will be remanded in custody pending an ongoing criminal probe or released on bail.
His court hearing came three days after his arrest the same day father-of-two John’s body was found hidden under lemon trees in an orchard off a main road running between the towns of Rojales and Torrevieja. Police used up nearly all the 72 hours they were able to hold him in custody under Spanish law.
It was not immediately clear if he had answered questions fired at him by detectives or had retained his right to silence. He can also refuse to answer questions the judge will put to him at today’s court session, which like all initial hearings in Spain always take place in private as only trials are opened up to the press and public.
Police have not named the bearded suspect, who is from the Czech Republic, and are not expected to do so officially even if he ends up being remanded to a local jail as he continues to be investigated on suspicion of John’s homicide. Any formal charges would only be laid at a later stage of the judicial probe, which is likely to take at least several months to complete.
Court officials are expected to confirm later today what the outcome of the court appearance has been, although they are unlikely to offer any details about what was said during the hearing. Yesterday the first pictures emerged of the remote spot where John’s body was dumped after he went missing during a Costa Blanca holiday.
