Malaga woman commits suicide in prison

A woman, 60, committed suicide in Alhaurin de la Torre prison after being arrested for failure to pay €3,784.

Between 2011 and 2012 she was working as a housemaid and stole numerous items of gold jewellery from her employers, which she later sold.

She was sentenced to six months in prison, and as she had no criminal record the sentence was suspended with the condition that she commit no further crimes and paid €3,784.34 in civil liability fees.

She was given 24 months to do so but in February, the public prosecutor was informed that she was not paying and efforts to contact her were fruitless.

Her lawyer declared she had no means to pay and asked for the sentence to be changed for community work.

This was refused and a search and arrest warrant was issued. She was arrested in her home and entered prison the following day.

Just five hours later she was found to have taken her own life.