A British father-of-two has died while in police custody in Spain.
Antony Abbott, 36, was reported dead two hours after his arrest at the Hotel Palm Beach in Benidorm late on Thursday night. The arrest was reported to have been for rowdy behaviour after drinking.
At 3 am on Friday, police returned to the hotel to tell his family that Mr Abbott was dead.
“When I went to identify the body on Saturday, he had bruises all over his head,” said Catherine Corless, Mr Abbott’s partner of nine years.
She added that the police were not providing her with any clear information about what transpired after the arrest.
A Spanish police spokesman, however, claimed Antony Abbott, a supermarket worker from Bolton, had committed suicide by hanging himself with a blanket. The spokesman did not provide further details.
Ms Corless, 28, remained at the hotel with their two children when Mr Abbott was led away by police.
“I saw him being taken off. He turned to me and said ‘I’m sorry, I will see you soon. I love you’.”
A Foreign Office spokesman confirmed the death and said they were trying to clarify what happened. “We are in contact with local authorities and are providing support to the family of a British national who died in Benidorm on 23rd October.”
No one at the provincial police headquarters in Alicante was available for comment.
A crowdfunding page has been set up by Miss Corless’s employer, Parcel2Go, to try to raise £7,000 to help the widow with funeral and other costs.
