Mayor freed from Jail

Julián Muñoz, the former mayor of Marbella, has been given third-grade status as a prisoner so now enjoys partial freedom. He left the confines of the Alhaurín de la Torre jail on Friday amidst a media scrum as photographers and film crews fought each other to get the best images for that night’s news broadcasts and the following day’s front pages.
Sr Muñoz, who has been imprisoned for 820 days since his arrest on July 19, 2006, was driven directly to the Marbella house of his girlfriend, the singer Isabel Pantoja, where yet another media hoard awaited him. The ex-mayor is implicated in the ‘Malaya’ corruption case at Marbella town hall, and if found guilty will face a lengthy prison term. However, at present his convictions have been related to town planning offences in Marbella and it is in his serving of these sentences that he has earned third-grade status.
Under this category Sr Muñoz is allowed out of prison during the day and can sleep at home on Fridays and Saturdays. He must return to Alhaurín de la Torre jail to sleep from Sunday through to Thursday but is at liberty during the day.

Marbella’s current mayor, Ángeles Muñoz (no relation to the ex-mayor), expressed her dissatisfaction that Sr Muñoz had so quickly evaded full-time incarceration, saying she wished the money he and his cohorts had cheated Marbella out of over the years could be just as quickly paid back.

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HONEYMOON TRAGEDY

British man drowns off Carvajal beach as new bride watches in horror

The newlyweds had been staying in the Hotel Gardenia with family and friends. After enjoying lunch at a beachside restaurant, they decided take a quick dip in the strong waves.
As his wife Danielle paddled nearby, Russell started to have trouble and was swept out by the undercurrent.
The family called for help but there was nobody on the beach except for a group of surfers.
Juan Ramón Tortosa, one of the eight local surfers who helped in the rescue, said that when they reached the victim he was already unconscious. The weight of the man and the heavy seas made it difficult to rescue him, but the surfers finally were able to use their boards to bring him ashore.
Minutes later the 061 emergency services arrived at the beach. Despite attempts to revive the Briton, they could do nothing to save his life. His distraught wife desperately urged them to keep trying, repeating over and over again, "Don't stop, don't stop, we've just married," according to her own account.
The couple were married on August 16 in the bride's hometown of Luton, Beds. They delayed their honeymoon to combine it with a family holiday with her parents, her brother and his girlfriend.
The British Consulate in Málaga confirmed that it has been in touch with the family and is offering assistance.



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