Belgian, 80, ‘confesses’to killing wife in Calpe

THE Calpe pensioner who ‘confessed’ to killing his wife has been remanded into custody without bail by a Denia judge.

He refused to answer the judge’s questions in court although the day before he reportedly admitted to killing her to the Guardia Civil.

The victim was a 78-year-old Belgian woman killed on Saturday (October 8) afternoon by her retired husband, 80, of the same nationality and identified by his first name, ‘Ferdinand’. The killing took place at the home of the couple concerned, on the Urbanisation Carrio in Calpe.

Sources said Ferdinand arrived drunk at their home on Friday night.Despite being reproached by his wife he opened another bottle and continued to drink. They started to argue and this is when – according to Spanish daily Informacion – Ferdinand hit her on the head with the bottle.

He continued to drink wine and without realising what he had done, fell asleep. On Saturday when he awoke, he discovered her dead body and allegedly tried to commit suicide by cutting his veins.

The husband then telephoned his son in Belgium to tell him he had killed his wife, identified by the Spanish Press as Yvonne, during a heated argument. His son informed the authorities Calpe.  When Guardia officers arrived at the home the detainee initially refused to open the door to the house, but when he eventually complied they found him with his hands covered in blood, presumably his own.

Inside they discovered the dead body of his wife.  Despite resuscitation attempts by the emergency services, the woman died at the scene. Initial indications suggest she had received a blow to the head with a blunt object. She reportedly put up a frantic fight to save her life.

It has also been reported that the husband attempted self harm after the crime, but that the wounds were not life-threatening. Police sources say they have found no record the man having any history of violence in Spain but the authorities are waiting for confirmation from Belgian police.