Irish man arrested on suspicion of murdering partner in Spain remains in custody

An Irish tourist arrested on suspicion of murdering his partner at their Spanish hotel will remain in police custody Wednesday.

Detectives have 72 hours to hold him from the time of his arrest under Spanish law before he appears in court on Wednesday.

The 30-year-old was arrested on Sunday night after his partner was found dead beside him on a second-floor corridor of the four-star Magnolia Hotel in the Costa Dorada resort of Salou, south of Barcelona.

He spent that night at a hospital in Tarragona receiving treatment for a wrist wound police have described as “self-inflicted”.

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A spokesman for the regional Mossos d’Esquadra police force said on Tuesday afternoon: “The man in custody will be held for the maximum period allowed under Spanish law.

“That will mean him appearing before a judge tomorrow [Wednesday].”

Overnight reports said the 30-year-old holidaymaker and his 36-year-old partner had been seen arguing before she was found dead.

The couple had spent “hours in a state of anger” according to sources quoted by respected Catalan newspaper El Periodico.

Police and other emergency responders found the victim dead in a second-floor corridor outside her hotel room after a 999 call from the hotel around 9.30pm on Sunday.

A police statement 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 on Sunday 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.”

They went on to confirm the arrested man was 30 years old, with sources close to the investigation later confirming both the woman and the detainee were Irish.

A minute’s silence was held for the unnamed victim on Monday evening at Salou Town Hall. Mayor Pere Granados and the regional government’s Minister for Equality Tania Verge were among those who took part.

Confirming the Salou killing was being treated as a gender-related crime, the department Miss Verge heads said: “A new feminicide is confirmed in Salou.

“It is the seventh registered in Catalonia in 2023.

“We will not stop until we can all live free from male violence. If you need it ask for help.”