An Irish tourist has been arrested on suspicion of murder after his partner was strangled to death at a hotel in a Spanish holiday resort.
Police have confirmed they held the 30-year-old man on Sunday night after rushing to a hotel in the Costa Dorada resort of Salou 105km south of Barcelona and finding her lying lifeless in a corridor.
Her alleged killer, discovered beside her with a “self-inflicted” wrist wound, was taken to hospital where he remained under police guard on Monday morning.
Sources close to the investigation have confirmed the arrested tourist is Irish, as is the 36-year-old woman he is suspected of strangling to death.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin expressed shock and sadness at the death and said the Department of Foreign Affairs was providing consular assistance.
He told RTÉ radio's News at One: “It is very shocking news that a young woman should be killed in a violent manner like this. We await further news in respect of that.
“Our department officials are providing consular assistance there to the family and doing everything we can to help those impacted by that terrible event in Spain.”
Sources in Spain indicated the pair, thought to be from Dublin although this has not been confirmed by officials, were understood to be partners and were sharing the same hotel room.
He allegedly used a cord to strangle her.
Trying to escape
A hotel worker is said to have found the victim in one of the corridors trying to escape her suspected killer, according to a local report.
Staff at the adult-only four-star Magnolia Hotel in Salou where the horror incident occurred said they were unable to make any comment.
The alarm was raised around 9.30pm on Sunday night. Salou is part of the Catalan province of Tarragona.
A spokesman for the regional Mossos d’Esquadra police force said: “Officers from the Mossos d'Esquadra’s Criminal Investigation Decision in Tarragona have arrested a man allegedly related to the violent death of a woman in Salou last night.
“The events occurred around half past nine when the Mossos received a warning from a hotel in Salou saying a woman was seriously injured.
“When they arrived at the scene, the officers found a woman lying on the floor and a man next to her with a self-inflicted wound.
“Although emergency medical responders tried to revive the woman, they were finally only able to certify her death.
“Officers arrested the man as the alleged perpetrator of the death.”
In an update on Monday morning the police force said the arrested man is 30 years old.
The murder suspect was under police guard at Joan XXIII Hospital in the city of Tarragona, the capital of the province of the same name.
He was later transferred to a police station after being treated for his wounds.
One unconfirmed report said he had severed a tendon in his right wrist.
A spokesman for the Mossos d’Esquadra said: “He is currently at a police station and the expectation is that he will be handed over to the courts later today.”
He is understood to have caused his wrist wound by punching or hitting a pane of glass. Well-placed sources said his injuries were not “life-threatening.”
Police have not officially said yet whether they are treating the incident as a “domestic violence killing.”
⚫️ Estem fent el seguiment d'un #feminicidi a Salou
Acompanyem @AjuntamentSalou i posem els nostres #serveis a disposició de la família i l'entorn de la víctima
‼️ Cal garantir-los la màxima #privacitat en aquests moments difícils
#NiUnaMenys https://t.co/7uWvvNUWds
— Igualtat i Feminismes (@igualtatcat) July 3, 2023
However a spokesman for the Department of Equality and Feminisms of the Catalan regional government called the Generalitat has already condemned the crime and is referring to it as a femicide.
The department said in a tweet: “We are keeping tabs on the femicide in Salou.
“We are working with the town hall and making our services available to the family and close friends of the victim who need maximum privacy at these difficult moments.”
Tania Verge, the Generalitat’s head of Equality and Feminisms, added: “Devastated by a new femicide. All our support to the victim’s family.
“Machismo doesn’t have holidays. On the contrary when couples spend more time together the risk of suffering violence increases.”
Special court
Court officials confirmed a court specialising in violence against women would be tasked with the criminal investigation.
They also said a secrecy order had been placed over the case, which does not prevent reporting of the incident and ongoing probe, but limits the amount of information civil servants including police can give out to media.
It is a common procedure in the early stages of a case and has the objective of legally safeguarding the ongoing criminal probe.
The accused's court appearance will take place behind-closed-doors, as is normal in Spain where only trials take place in public.
He is expected to be remanded in custody on the orders of a judge while the criminal investigation continues.
Charges would be laid at a later stage if the judge feels there is sufficient evidence against him.
He will be asked at his first court hearing if he wishes to answer questions but has the right to remain silent.
A local judicial official said: “Tarragona’s Duty Court proceeded last night to order the removal of the body of a woman who suffered a violent death at a hotel in Salou.
“The case, which is under judicial secrecy, will be investigated by a court specialising in violence against women.
“The victim and alleged aggressor are not residents in Spain and therefore it is not possible at this time to state whether there had been previous episodes of violence involving the couple.”
