A judge in Palma has ordered the immediate imprisonment of a British couple detained for an alleged attempted kidnapping in the Palma surburb of Son Ferriol in Mallorca. The pair face charges of unlawful detention following an incident involving a woman in the area.
Both suspects were interviewed separately for approximately 15 minutes each, during which they told the magistrate they have limited recollection of the events. They cited the extensive consumption of illegal substances prior to the alleged offence as the reason for their impaired memory.
According to court sources, the defendants stated that they do not remember much of what happened due to the high quantity of narcotics consumed in the hours leading up to the incident. This was reflected in their respective depositions, indicating significant drug influence at the time.
The decision to remand them in custody was taken swiftly to ensure the investigation can proceed without risk of interference. The charge of unlawful detention carries serious legal consequences under Spanish criminal law, and proceedings will continue in order to clarify the circumstances surrounding the attempted abduction.
Authorities are continuing their inquiry to determine the full context of the incident, including motive and any further involvement. The case has also raised concerns regarding public safety and drug-related criminal activity in the region.
They were not unknown to the National Police. The British couple — a middle-aged man and woman — arrested on Monday morning following the violent attempted kidnapping had previously been involved in a high-profile abduction for which they were also detained. That incident took place on 14 January in the Son Banya settlement in Palma.
According to the earlier victim’s account, a man who reported the incident to police, he had gone to collect a debt when he was forced into a car and taken to the well-known drug settlement, where he was assaulted before the suspects fled. He required stitches to his head and back as a result of the injuries sustained.
In the Son Ferriol case, as outlined by the National Police, the couple allegedly attempted to force a woman, aged around 60, into a vehicle. The incident began at approximately 12:50pm, when several calls to the 091 emergency number alerted authorities to a couple attempting to violently push the victim into a car.
Several patrols attended the scene, where officers found the woman with multiple injuries and in a state of shock. She had been assisted by her husband and several witnesses, including an employee from a nearby business.
Officers established that the victim had been waiting for a relative at a roundabout when the British couple approached her and repeatedly told her to get into the car. When she refused, the female suspect got out of the vehicle, grabbed her firmly by the arm and began pushing her.
A struggle followed, during which the victim managed to break free and run towards her home. However, she was pursued by the attacker, who caught up with her, leading to a second confrontation. The victim fell to the ground, dropping her handbag, and the suspect allegedly attempted to drag her back towards the car.
National Police later located the pair and arrested them. As in the previous case, officers were able to identify and detain them, at that time on suspicion of robbery with violence and causing injury.