By Tara Rippin • Published: 13 Apr 2020 • 17:44
IN a statement, the Guardia Civil said the pair were living in a number of properties in the Sabiñánigo, Huesca, and were only rumbled after concerned neighbours contacted the real owners.
The 35-year-old man and woman, 46, have been charged with the alleged crimes of usurpation of housing, fraud, damages and serious disobedience.
#AsíNO❗Detenidas 2 personas por ocupar varias viviendas vacías debido a la imposibilidad de movimiento de sus propietarios durante el #estadodealarma. La @guardiacivil les imputa delitos de usurpación de vivienda, defraudación de fluido eléctrico, daños y desobediencia grave. pic.twitter.com/GnVJtDJsCu — Guardia Civil (@guardiacivil) April 13, 2020
#AsíNO❗Detenidas 2 personas por ocupar varias viviendas vacías debido a la imposibilidad de movimiento de sus propietarios durante el #estadodealarma. La @guardiacivil les imputa delitos de usurpación de vivienda, defraudación de fluido eléctrico, daños y desobediencia grave. pic.twitter.com/GnVJtDJsCu
— Guardia Civil (@guardiacivil) April 13, 2020
The first call was received on March 31 from a homeowner, who said he had a second property in Sabiñánigo and that a neighbour had warned him that there were people inside.
Officers went to the house and found the two people, ordering them to leave the house.
Four days later, a warden at an apartment block in the same town called the Guardia Civil to report damage to a flat belonging to out of towners.
Suspicious the previous pair were “illegally occupying the apartment and possibly several others,” officers contacted the Jaca Judicial Police Team to help track the suspects.
They were stopped at a State of Alarm control on April 8, and arrested.
According to the Guardia Civil, the man has “numerous records for all types of crimes,” they had both been stopped nine times since March 21 for violating movement restrictions.
An investigation is still underway to establish exactly how many second homes they have been occupying.
Anybody with any information which may help with the inquiries is asked to call the Peripheral Communication Office (OPC) of the Guardia Civil in Huesca, on 974 215 553 or 680 441 007.
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Tara Rippin is a reporter for Spain’s largest English-speaking newspaper, Euro Weekly News, and is responsible for the Costa Blanca region. She has been in journalism for more than 20 years, having worked for local newspapers in the Midlands, UK, before relocating to Spain in 1990. Since arriving, the mother-of-one has made her home on the Costa Blanca, while spending 18 months at the EWN head office in Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol. She loves being part of a community that has a wonderful expat and Spanish mix, and strives to bring the latest and most relevant news to EWN’s loyal and valued readers.
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