British man arrested and then released in Alicante

THERE have been a number of articles in the Essex Press and BBC about a British man called Norman Fowler, a 38-year-old from Colchester who appears to have an outstanding arrest warrant in respect of the theft of cameras valued at £21,000 (€27,000) in the UK prior, to his move to Spain in 2014.

According to the BBC report, he was sentenced to nine-months imprisonment in his absence and a warrant for his arrest remains outstanding.

Fowler was traced to an apartment in Alicante, where his landlady at the time was very positive about his behaviour, and he then moved on to another residence in Pedreguer where it is believed that he tried to sell a car to another expatriate, but this fell through as the car was reportedly on a stolen list.

Following this he was arrested by Spanish Police in connection with alleged irregularities over gun licenses, and it was assumed that the British police would apply for his extradition, but somewhat inexplicably it is reported that he has been released from detention and has presumably returned to his home in Spain.

Ironically, whilst in prison, his car, which was parked near his accommodation, mysteriously disappeared much to the surprise of the local Guardia Civil.