The woman who was jailed for strangling a friend with a vacuum cleaner cord testified in court after spending over six months in jail. She came to court on her own and tried to explain what happened that night, saying she “lost her mind.” Sources said that the woman told the judge that she acted in response to the victim’s mistreatment.
The event took place on September 17th in the apartment where the two British women had just moved in together in Rincón de Loix, Benidorm. The 63-year-old woman is said to have strangled her 65-year-old friend with a vacuum cleaner cord after a fight. Emergency personnel couldn’t save her life when they got to the flat. The woman had already confirmed that the victim was dead when she decided to call and report what had happened.
When the woman first called the police, she admitted to the crime. But when she was hauled before a judge, she chose to stay mute, saying she was in shock. She has asked to go to court to tell her side of the story some six months later.
The suspect was moved from prison to the Benidorm Courthouse, where she gave testimony for almost an hour with the help of lawyers Andrés Ortuño Sevilla and Juan Bautista Díaz Corcuera. In the meantime, the victim’s daughter has become a private prosecutor in the case.
The battle
With the help of an interpreter, the woman told the court what happened. The same sources say that the crime happened just a few days after the two women moved in together. The accused had just gotten to Spain and couldn’t find a place to stay, so the victim offered her one. She said that living together wasn’t calm from the start. The woman informed the judge that at that time her friend had mistreated her, but she made it clear that the assaults weren’t very serious. Also, she said that the victim had problems with drinking.
The woman went back to prison after her court appearance to wait for her trial date.
These are the reasons the defendant gives for trying to put what happened that night in context. It looks like a jury will hear the case at the Provincial Court. However, court sources say that, given the facts of the case, the way things happened, and the defendant’s cooperation with the Justice system, the acts could be classified as manslaughter, which is a less serious charge than murder and has a much harsher sentence. In addition, the statement makes it conceivable for the prosecution and the defence to reach a plea deal that would keep the case from going to trial.
After a heated altercation, the woman who was arrested is said to have strangled the victim with a vacuum cleaner wire. She called a friend to inform her what had happened and beg for help when she realised what had transpired. This friend told her to go to the police and tell them everything. In the end, it was this friend who called the police, who got to the house right away after hearing about the incident. This witness gave evidence in the duty court a few days later. She didn’t see the crime happen, but the person who did it told her what happened.
