A 32-year-old British man who had just been released from prison on bail two weeks earlier was shot while sitting in a car in a garage on the Orihuela Costa on Thursday night, December 11th. The Guardia Civil is investigating the possibility of the shooting being a score-settling incident. Peter F., who used to go by the name Sonny James R., was arrested in April as the head of an armed British gang that extorted cannabis clubs in the Vega Baja area to take control and keep the money.
Around 10 p.m. on Thursday, there was a shooting in an underground parking garage on Calle Cabo de Gata in Lomas de Cabo Roig. His car was hit by 10 to 15 bullets, ten of which went through the windscreen. The man was shot three times: in the arm, leg and chest. He was still able to get out of the car and ask a neighbour for help. They drove him to the Torrevieja University Hospital, where he was put in the emergency room with gunshot wounds.
He got urgent care when he got to the hospital, and after some testing, he was brought to the operation room. Hospital sources say he is still in the ICU and in dire condition.
At 10 p.m., emergency services (112) were called to a shooting in Orihuela Costa. Officers from the Orihuela Costa Local Police and the Guardia Civil from Pilar de la Horadada and Torrevieja all went to the site. The Judicial Police in Pilar de la Horadada are in charge of the inquiry and are collecting information to find out who did the attack.
In April, the Guardia Civil apprehended the Englishman who was wounded for robbing a cannabis club in San Fulgencio and threatening to kill the owner if he didn’t pay him €25,000 and half of the club’s income. The arrest happened on the Orihuela Costa, and threeGuardia Civil officers were hurt as the suspect put up a lot of resistance. The Guardia Civil took two submachine guns, which are considered weapons of war, and more than 300 rounds of ammunition of different sizes from his house.
The inquiry found that he was the leader of a gang that used mafia-style tactics to extort cannabis clubs. The gang had already taken over two businesses in the Vega Baja area. Along with Peter F., another British citizen was taken into custody, and police were looking for numerous additional people who were involved.
After he was arrested, he was put in pretrial prison. On November 28th, the Orihuela Court of Instruction number 3 ordered his temporary release with safety restrictions, following the plea of his defence lawyer, Francisco Miguel Galiana Botella.
More police officers
Unidos por la Costa (United for the Coast) said in May that residents of the Orihuela coastline have been asking for more police resources for a long time because “the serious increase in crime.” This was after a shooting and an attempted kidnapping just days after a young Irish man was shot in the head near an entertainment area near the Zenia Boulevard shopping centre and seriously hurt. The victim, who was 21 years old, was found with life-threatening injuries.
The authorities found a bag in an open field that had a handgun, bullets and the victim’s phone in it. This led to the arrest of two suspects, one in Orihuela Costa and the other in Pilar de la Horadada. They are both 27 and 45 years old and are being charged with attempted murder.
The neighbourhood group then repeated its demands for action: “More resources, equipment, schedules, presence, communication, deterrence, control of conflictive issues, and the use of drones and cameras.”
There is no sense of community in many housing estates because more than 40 nationalities reside together. Instead, they live alone and behind closed doors. It can feel like you’re stepping into the lion’s lair. All of this makes it easier for crime to happen.
Reinforcement
In July, the Orihuela City Council told the Ministry of the Interior that it was “urgent” to have a permanent Guardia Civil post on the Orihuela Costa. They also asked for more personnel to improve security in this important part of the municipality, including transferring the land and possibly building the new barracks to make it as easy as possible to set up.
In this regard, the mayor, Pepe Vegara, said, “Orihuela Costa needs more resources from theGuardia Civil right away, and the City Council will do everything it can to make sure this request is met.”
The Local Security Board met and talked about the protection of the people along the coast in great detail before making this choice. The City Council said in a news statement, “The data doesn’t show a high rate of serious crime, but it does show that the Local Police are very busy right now, especially during the peak tourist season.”
Author: Derek Appleton
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