A 44-year-old man, staying at a hotel in the Costa Blanca resort, is reportedly being treated in hospital and awaiting psychiatric evaluation after a shocking incident, according to the Daily Star.
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He was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, bodily harm, and threats. The man lost control on Poniente beach, Benidorm’s widest stretch of sand, located southwest of the historic quarter. He reportedly tried to drown a 34-year-old Norwegian woman who was enjoying a swim with her boyfriend: he grabbed her by the throat and submerged her head underwater until her partner, struggling with the Briton, managed to rescue her.
After that, he allegedly went onto the beach sand and grabbed a five-year-old Spanish boy by the neck as he was spending the day with his parents. The man reportedly tried to suffocate him by pressing the child’s face into the sand and pinning him to the ground.
The boy’s mother, along with other beachgoers, rushed to help, and a lifeguard subdued and detained the Briton until officers arrived. Local reports state that after his arrest, he displayed violent behavior and attempted suicide in a police cell, leading officers to handcuff him and place him under round-the-clock supervision.
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He was admitted to hospital for treatment and remains under police guard pending a mental health assessment. Although he was initially cared for by the local police, subordinate to Benidorm City Council, after his arrest, he was later transferred to another law enforcement agency – the National Police – and then taken to hospital.
Neither of these institutions has yet issued an official statement regarding the incident, which occurred on Tuesday afternoon.
