Czech suspect arrested for murder of Briton (37), whose body was found in lemon grove days after he disappeared in Benidorm, is taken to court in handcuffs
The Czech suspect arrested over the murder of a British man who disappeared in Benidorm was today taken to court in handcuffs.
The 32-year-old frowned as he was led to the courthouse in the Costa Blanca town of Torrevieja, flanked by two armed police officers.
He appeared before an investigating judge this morning at a closed-door hearing and has since been released on bail pending an ongoing criminal investigation.
His hearing took place three days after his arrest, the same day the body of father-of-two John George was found hidden under lemon trees in an orchard off a main road between the towns of Rojales and Torrevieja.
Officials signaled after their release that investigators suspected at least one other person was involved in the crime, although no new arrests have been made.
A spokesperson for the High Court of the Valencian Community, which deals with the city of Torrevieja where the suspect appeared before a judge, said this afternoon: ‘The head of the Court of Instruction Number Two of Torrevieja, which acts as a court of duty, has decided release the suspects Taking precautionary measures, the man was arrested in connection with the murder of a Northern Irish citizen whose body was discovered in Rojales on Tuesday.
“The decision was made in accordance with the prosecutors’ criteria.
‘The judge is currently charging him with a crime of murder, as an accomplice or by complicity in the crime.
The 32-year-old Czech suspect looked scowling as he was led into the courthouse in the Costa Blanca town of Torrevieja, flanked by two armed police officers.
Mr George was first reported missing after being unable to board his flight home on December 18
The 37-year-old was at a friend’s home in Alicante on Spain’s Costa del Sol before later leaving to meet other friends in nearby Benidorm (pictured)
‘His bail conditions include a requirement to report to court every two weeks and surrender his passport. He is also not allowed to leave Spain.
“The court will continue its investigation with the intention of fully resolving this matter.”
Police have used almost all the 72 hours they could hold in custody under Spanish law.
It was not immediately clear whether he had answered the questions fired at him by investigators or had retained his right to remain silent.
Police have not named the bearded suspect, who is from the Czech Republic, and are not expected to do so officially, even if he is eventually remanded to a local jail, while he remains under investigation on suspicion of the murder of the Belfast man.
Any formal charges would not be filed until a later stage of the inquest, which is likely to last at least several months.
Court officials are expected to confirm the outcome of the trial later today, although they are unlikely to provide details of what was said during the hearing.
Yesterday the first photos emerged of the remote spot where John’s body was dumped after he went missing during a holiday on the Costa Blanca.
Police had returned to the scene and one of the officers used a metal detector to search the surrounding ground and a rural road next to the orchard.
Mr George (left), also known as John Hardy, was on holiday in Alicante and last contacted his family on December 14.
A trail of dried blood was still visible on the rural road near overgrown lemon trees under which his decomposing remains were discovered on Tuesday morning, suggesting he had been hastily abandoned.
There were also police arrows marked on the ground that appeared to indicate the pattern and direction of the bloodstains.
No attempts had been made by the person or people who left the victim to bury his body in a shallow grave and instead it had simply been hidden under low-lying tree branches and foliage to prevent passing motorists from seeing it.
John’s father Billy named a number of people he described on his social media as suspects before his son’s body was found, including a man from the Czech Republic.
Post-mortem results have not yet been made public and police have not said how long they believe John’s body had been where it was found, although it is known that his last contact with his family was on December 14.
His family reported him missing after he was unable to catch a scheduled flight home four days later after a short holiday.
On December 23, his family had launched a GoFundMe campaign to support a search party, expressing concern that he had been the victim of a crime.
John’s brother Darren traveled to Alicante to assist in the search with their parents, Billy and Sharon, and sister Courtney and Caitlin, along with up to 50 friends and extended family from Northern Ireland.
Siblings Darren, Courtney, Caitlyn and Mr George (right)
On January 1, members of K9 Search And Rescue NI, a volunteer dog search team, joined the large-scale operation to find the missing man.
Seven K9 search technicians and their Labrador retriever Rocko took part in the operation.
They returned home on Sunday after searching hundreds of kilometers of land.
John’s family, who arrive back in Northern Ireland today, yesterday left a floral tribute in the Costa Blanca town near where his body was found.
In a video on social media, Billy said: ‘I found my son. I’ll take him home.’
The Civil Guard has made only one official statement since Tuesday’s grim discovery: ‘Following the discovery of the body, a 32-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder on Tuesday.
‘Further information will be provided as further details become available.’