Costa Blanca

Kirsty Maxwell Benidorm balcony death to be probed in new series

A new series expects the five men who last saw Kirsty Maxwell alive to provide answers in a podcast that investigates her mysterious death in Spain.

After a night out on a hen do in 2017, Kirsty, a newlywed, plummeted to her death from a balcony at a hotel in Benidorm.

Before her death, Kirsty, 27, of Livingston, inadvertently entered a 10th-floor flat that was occupied by five British men: Joseph Graham, Ricky Gammon, Anthony Holehouse, Callum Northridge and Daniel Bailey.

In July 2020, they were cleared of being homicide suspects after judges determined that there was no “strong evidence” of criminality and no indication that she had not fallen to her death.

Nevertheless, Kirsty’s mother and father, who are devastated, are adamant that she did not leap of her own volition. The case and an appeal for information are the focus of the six-part podcast, “What happened to Kirsty Maxwell.”

True Crime podcaster Naomi Channell, who narrates and produces the series, says, “I do not believe it was a tragic accident.” All the evidence suggests that she was fleeing from something.

“There are still numerous unanswered questions.”

“It is my sincere hope that this will exert pressure on the authorities and on those who were present in the flat but have never been adequately investigated.”

Naomi met Kirsty’s family at a UK Crimecon convention in 2023, where she was present with Sue Horan, the wife of Stuart Lubbock, who passed away under suspicious circumstances at the residence of television personality Michael Barrymore in 2001.

In her podcast, she recounts how upon Kirsty’s arrival at the apartments with her friends, “a shirtless man” approached them at the elevators and enquired, “Who wants to get f*** tonight?”

Kirsty returned to the apartments early in the morning after a night out, during which she consumed alcohol but did not have any narcotics in her system.

It is unclear why she awoke, proceeded to the 10th floor, and knocked on the door of room 10E. The room was shared by five men, including the shirtless man, who were all from the Nottingham area.

One of them informed the authorities. Before jumping over the Juliette balcony to her demise, Kirsty attempted to climb through a small window in the bathroom and then ran through the apartment window.

Naomi stated, “Kirsty died instantly after falling at 7.51 a.m.” One of the men reported to the police that he had observed her fall. This individual was the sleeveless man, and his name is Joseph Graham.

Adam, Kirsty’s spouse, received a call from the Spanish police informing him that she had passed away. He was compelled to inform her mother, Denise, of the tragic news. The couple had married only eight months prior.

Brian Curry, her father, expressed his disbelief, stating, “Even to this day, it is extremely difficult to accept.”

The podcast delves into the process by which Kirsty’s family travelled to Benidorm to initiate their own investigation three months after her death, as they encountered a “wall of silence” from the police.

Naomi, a podcaster from Essex, stated, “No parent should ever be required to investigate the death of their own child.”

“Brian requested 12 hours of footage that encompassed the period prior to and following Kirsty’s death; however, the police provided him with only seven minutes of edited footage.

Kirsty’s fall is not depicted in a traumatic three-second footage captured by a camera at the poolside, which captures her impact with the ground. Brian is of the opinion that the footage was edited by an individual.

“According to investigators, the remaining CCTV footage has disappeared.” The police were compelled to acknowledge that they had disposed of the garments the day following Kirsty’s death. Her attire would have served as indispensable evidence.

“They claimed that the reason was that the clothing was stained with blood.” They acknowledged that the only method of examination was visual.

David Swindle, the retired Strathclyde detective who established Victims Abroad, was astounded by the deficiencies of the investigation.

He stated that the Spanish Police failed to conduct thorough investigations into the evidence, including independent witnesses, and did not advance forensics or CCTV footage.

“These men were not separated and were not interviewed properly.” DNA issues were encountered, samples were not collected, and Kirsty’s clothing was incinerated.

“Throughout my tenure as an investigator, I was unable to comprehend it.” “If we had all of that, we would be better equipped to understand what transpired with Kirsty.”

The podcast, which will be available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon on April 29, commemorates the eight-year anniversary of Kirsty’s passing.

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Costa Blanca

Elche companies swindle a million euros in subsidies

A business network in Elche has been dismantled, and four individuals have been arrested for defrauding over one million euros in public subsidies from the Valencian Government and the European Social Fund to promote employment. They spent the funds on high-end cars and used them for unrelated purposes.

The investigators became suspicious when the companies promptly dismissed the contracted workers, voluntarily resigned, or ceased operations.

The fictitious contracts were identified as a result of a complaint submitted by the Valencian Employment and Training Service (LABORA) to the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office regarding potential irregularities.

Public aid was exploited by structured fraud to facilitate the employment of qualified personnel and vulnerable individuals. Despite the initial formalisation of employment contracts, they frequently failed to satisfy regulatory mandates.

The Urban and Economic Crimes Team of the Organic Judicial Police Unit of the Guardia Civil of Alicante has been conducting an analysis of the traceability of the money received for nearly a year. The team has identified transfers between bank accounts associated with the individuals involved and diversions to personal expenditures.

In April of last year, a search of the group leader’s private residence in Elche, as well as certain offices that are still in use in the city’s technology park, turned up €9,000 in cash, a high-end vehicle, and various pertinent documents. The authorities also seized properties and accounts.

The court presented the four detainees and released them after taking precautionary measures against the alleged leader.

They face accusations of money laundering, contract execution failure, membership in a criminal organisation, and subsidy fraud.

The Civil Guard has emphasised the institutional collaboration necessary to combat this type of fraud, stating that “the investigation was conducted under the direction of the Prosecutor’s Office against Corruption and Organised Crime of the Alicante Provincial Prosecutor’s Office, with the collaboration of LABORA.”

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Costa Blanca

Elche renews the five blue flags on its beaches

The five Blue Flags at Arenales del Sol, Carabassí, El Altet, La Marina, and Les Pesqueres-El Rebollo have been renewed by the Elche City Council.

Tourism Councillor Irene Ruiz expressed her enthusiasm for the awards’ renewal, emphasising that “Elche’s beaches are the stars once again this year.” She also emphasised that this distinction underscores the quality, management, services, and safety that all of the beaches provide.

Annually, the Association for Environmental and Consumer Education (ADEAC) awards blue flags as one of the quality and environmental certification distinctions. This designation is based on a variety of criteria, including environmental management, water quality, swimmer safety, beach services, and environmental information and education.

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Costa Blanca

The towns with the highest crime rate in Alicante province

Although the Ministry of the Interior’s most recent data indicates a slight decrease in crime in Spain during 2024, the Crime Report also documents an increase in certain serious crimes, including intentional homicides and completed murders, which have increased by 4.5%, and sexual assaults with penetration, which have increased by 6.7%.

In comparison to the conventional crime rate, this amounts to 41.0 crimes per thousand inhabitants. Additionally, the report offers a detailed analysis of the various offences and the number of reported cases in each municipality. Statistics in the province of Alicante set it apart.

In 2024, the city of Alicante in the Valencian Community province was the municipality with the highest crime rate, with a total of 20,577 cases recorded. Following it are Torrevieja with 8,337, Elche with 8,132, and Benidorm with 5,167. Nevertheless, it is crucial to bear in mind that the provincial capital has a significantly higher population than the remainder of the municipality.

Kidnapping is one of the most egregious crimes in this region. In the province of Alicante, there were 8 of the 13 cases that occurred throughout the Valencian Community. Alicante reported three cases, Benidorm reported one, Calp reported one, Pilar de la Horadada reported one, Crevillent reported one, and Torrevieja reported one.

The province reported a total of 1,145 cases of narcotic trafficking. Last year, Benidorm reported 171 cases of this form of crime, making it the second most notable town after Alicante, which reported 352 cases. There are also villages and cities where fewer than 10 cases have been reported, including Calp (2), Ibi (3), Sant Joan d’Alacant (4), Novelda (4), Villajoyosa (6), Almoradí (7), Mutxamel (7), Alcoy (8 cases), Petrer (8), and San Vicente del Raspeig (9).

The province has a total of 1,008 transgressions against sexual freedom, as listed in the Interior Ministry report. This category encompasses sexual assault and abuse that involves penetration, with a total of 222 cases reported last year. Villena, Petrer, and Ibi are among the municipalities that have not recorded any cases. However, Alicante, Elche, and Benidorm have higher numbers: 52, 30, and 19 cases, respectively.