Security guards at a Spanish supermarket are reported by have assaulted a French couple.
The wife was repeatedly punched and the husband gripped by the throat as their children watched.
The incident took place at a Carrefour hypermarket in the Costa Blanca town of Torrevieja.
The couple and their two children were holidaying in the resort over New Year. They claim that while shopping at Carrefour they accidentally set off a security alarm at the supermarket check-out.
The two guards took them to a security room where the couple said they were “violently” searched although no stolen items were found. When they woman insisted they be allowed to leave, she was attacked by the security guards.
The assault was captured secretly on video by their 13 year-old son. It showed the guards repeatedly punching the mother as they attempted to handcuff her while the husband was gripped around the neck as he tried to protect her.
The audio caught the woman screaming and her younger child, 5, sobbing.
The couple were both treated in hospital for their injuries. Casesa, the security firm responsible, said it “regretted” the incident and had launched an internal investigation into the circumstances.
The Spanish government already had plans in place to extend the powers of private security personnel to include powers of arrest beyond the establishments they are paid to guard.