A 37-year-old man has been remanded in custody following the brutal murder of another man on the Costa del Sol.
The victim, a homeless man in his 40s, was punched and kicked to death after interrupting an attempt to steal his belongings as he slept on a Malaga beach. Spanish police said the man had been sleeping in La Malagueta, a busy tourist area during daylight hours which has now become a place where homeless people gather at night.
The incident happened on March 12, but details of the man’s nationality are only emerging now. It’s believed he was originally from Cork and had such severe head injuries that officers initially believed he had been battered with a rock, Belfast Live reports.
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However, a post-mortem revealed that he had been punched and kicked to death.
The alarm was raised at around 6.30am when a jogger spotted a body lying on the beach, with a large amount of blood on the sand beside it. Cops had also received reports of shouting and cries for help a short time beforehand.
The suspect, 37, was arrested at his home at around 7pm that evening. It is believed police tracked him via CCTV and recovered clothing covered in the blood of his victim.
Police were able to determine the victim was a homeless man after interviewing staff at a supermarket near the beach, who had seen him in the locality. Documentation found in his belongings indicated he may be Irish.
However, authorities had to submit the dead man’s fingerprints to Interpol before receiving positive confirmation of his identity. They are currently attempting to contact relatives in a bid to repatriate his remains.
The suspect appeared before a judge three days after the killing.
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