The incident took place in the early hours of Tuesday 8 September, when the Services Operations Centre (COS) alerted the Guardia Civil in Almuñécar to a possible attempted burglary at a shop in the Costa Tropical town. On arrival, the officers found damage to the shop window, consistent with the use of a blunt object, although there was no evidence at that time that anyone had gained access to the premises.

A few minutes later, at around 6.30am, the control centre reported that a burglar alarm had been triggered at another nearby shop. On arriving at the scene, the officers found that the shop had a broken window and traces of blood inside, consistent with a recent break-in.

During the search operation in the area, Guardia Civil and the Local Police officers located, just a few metres from the premises, an individual with a bleeding wound to his leg, the trail of which matched the one leading from inside the shop. In light of this evidence, he was arrested and taken to the health centre to receive medical treatment.

During the search of the premises, officers found a rucksack containing a hammer and a cap, alongside a till full of coins which appeared to have been left behind during the getaway. A metal key matching the one used to break the shop window was also found outside the premises.

It was subsequently established that, in addition to the two previous burglaries, the suspect had attempted to break into two further shops. Footage from the CCTV cameras provided by the victims clearly showed this person’s involvement in the attempted burglaries, although he did not succeed.

The alleged perpetrator was brought before the Almuñécar duty Magistrates’ Court, which released him on bail pending a trial.

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