British woman is arrested over murder of homeless Romanian man in Spain

British woman is arrested over murder of homeless Romanian man with no legs who was strangled and set on fire in Spain

  • The 50-year-old Brit suspect was detained on the island of Gran Canaria today
  • She and a Spanish man, 43, are accused of strangling the Romanian on Jan. 11
  • The victim, 61, who used a wheelchair, was found dead in an abandoned building

A British woman has been arrested in Spain on suspicion of strangling a homeless Romanian man to death. 

The 50-year-old suspect, who lives on the holiday island of Gran Canaria, was detained there along with a 43-year-old Spaniard on Wednesday morning.  

The 61-year-old victim, who used a wheelchair after having both of his legs amputated, was found dead on January 11. 

He was found strangled in an abandoned building where he had been sleeping, in San Bartolome in Tirajana in the south of Gran Canaria. 

The other suspect, a 43-year-old Spaniard, is led away in handcuffs

Suspects: A 50-year-old British woman (left) and a 43-year-old Spaniard (right) have been arrested over the death of a homeless Romanian man who was found strangled in January 

Sources close to the case said the arrested woman, initially described as Irish by police but British by court officials, was from Belfast. 

Police said the alleged killers had tried to burn the evidence after pouring an accelerant over the man’s body. 

A spokesman for Spain’s National Police said the British woman lived on the island and had no previous convictions. 

Police have not yet named her and have not revealed any relationship between the two suspects. 

‘We know the detainees and the victim knew each other but we are not in a position at this stage to offer any information on the possible motive,’ a spokesman said. 

‘That will form part of the ongoing investigation which is now in the hands of a judge.’

Armed with a search warrant, officers raided the home of the two suspects and seized items of clothing they are thought to have been wearing on the day. 

The unnamed British suspect, who lives on the island of Gran Canaria (file photo), is suspected of killing the Romanian man

The unnamed British suspect, who lives on the island of Gran Canaria (file photo), is suspected of killing the Romanian man

‘An intense police investigation lasting two months has led to the identification of the suspected authors of the January 11 murder,’ police said. 

‘The arrested man is Spanish and the arrested woman is British. Both live in the south of Gran Canaria.

‘The victim, a 61-year-old Romanian of no fixed abode, was sleeping in an abandoned building in San Bartolome de Tirajana and moved around in a wheelchair after having both legs amputated.

‘He was strangled at the place where he used to sleep and then burnt after having accelerant poured over him.’

The court hearing will take place behind closed doors and an investigating judge will decide as a first step whether to remand the suspects in custody or release them on bail pending an ongoing probe.

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