Frightened parents alert Costa families
By Tom Cain
FRIGHTENED parents, Nigel and Leslie Atkinson of San Vicente, have asked Costa Blanca News to warn all parents on the Costa Blanca – and especially those in the San Vicente area – of an attempt by two men to lure two of their children into a car.
The incident, which occurred on April 24, happened outside the family’s home in San Vicente.
Two men, who had been seen on and off during the previous two weeks sitting in a car parked close to the access road to the Atkinsons’ property, drove up close to the gate and tried to entice two of their sons, aged eight and nine, into their car by claiming they were going to take them to see their dad.
The vehicle has been described as a silver-grey estate car, possibly right-hand drive.
Leslie said: “One of the men spoke in English and said to the boys, ‘You have to come to my house because Nigel said.’” She added: “I don’t know how they knew my husband’s name; luckily the boys were sensible enough to ignore them and come inside the house.”
When approached by another member of the family the two men drove off.
They have been described as olive-skinned with one having a greyish beard and moustache.
The seriousness of the incident was enough to convince Leslie to report it to the police who, although sympathetic, were unable to take any action because no crime had been committed.
Since the incident, Leslie says she has seen the vehicle the men were driving parked close to her property on two occasions. Both were on a Monday morning and the reappearance has left Leslie in a very nervous state.
Because of the fear of having any of their children snatched, Leslie and Nigel now keep a close eye on them when they are playing in the garden. Nigel said: “I never used to padlock the main gate during the day but now I keep it locked all the time.”
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tcain@cbnews.es
Prison for unlicensed drivers |
New penal code for traffic offences comes
into force
By James Parkes
SINCE yesterday, Thursday, motorists who are found driving without a licence on Spanish roads, commit a crime against road safety and could go to prison.
Amendments to the penal code regarding road safety were made on December 2 last year, but the government approved a moratorium for its enforcement, which concluded on May 1.
In accordance with article 384 of the new penal code, anyone found driving a vehicle without ever having obtained a licence, now face a spell behind bars that could vary from three to six months, a fine over a 12 to 24-month period or community work over a period of between 31 and 90 days.
The same penalty will be applied to those who have been temporarily or permanently stripped of their licence due to a judicial order or an accumulation of 12 points on their licence.
Figures released by the DGT traffic department show that more than 25,000 motorists were fined last year for driving without a licence and the same sources estimate around 30,000 people drive without a licence in Spain.
Other articles of the penal code also punish with imprisonment the following road traffic crimes: exceeding the maximum permitted speed in built-up areas by 60kph and in open roads by 80kph, driving with an alcohol reading of over 0.60mg per litre of air or 1.2g per litre of blood and refusing to take an alcohol test.
EXPAT DRIVERS’ DILEMMA
Driving without a licence could become a serious problem for expats who are in the process of getting their new residence certificates.
Costa Blanca News received a call from a reader in reference to a recent story about residence certificates.
He said that he had just been given an appointment for July but finds himself in trouble because without his foreigners’ registration certificate he cannot renew his driving licence, which runs out in May, so effectively he won’t be able use his car for two months.
The reader said that while he agreed that getting the certificate is a piece of cake, the time frame of getting an appointment at Dénia’s DNI office can vary greatly.
jparkes@cbnews.es
Alicante to Benidorm on track |
No tram swapping at Villajoyosa
By Tom Cain
REGIONAL public Works has announced that as from May 25 there will be a non-stop tram link between Alicante and Benidorm that will cut the journey time to just 59 minutes.
Passengers will be able to board the train at the Mercado station in Alicante city centre and travel direct to Benidorm without having to stop in Villajoyosa.
Train times from Alicante will be every half-hour between 06.00 and 21.00 and from Benidorm between 07.00 and 22.00.
Eventually, in accordance with contracts approved last week, commuters will be able to travel directly from Benidorm to Alicante airport.
REPAIR BILL
In a separate announcement Valencia rail operator FGV has revealed that the cost of repairing the Alicante to Dénia rail line following the October floods will reach nine million euros.
Although the work is almost finished, crews are still carrying out repairs on the stretch of the line between Altea and Calpe.
tcain@cbnews.es
Jávea port revamp proposal |
Regional Public Works to foot the bill
By Tom Cain
THE CONTROVERSIAL issue of improving Jávea harbour has been reignited this week, but this time it’s the regional government itself behind the upgrade plan.
Regional Public Works has sent a proposal to revamp Jávea port to all political groups in the council informing them of its plan to create 350 new moorings.
Sources in Valencia say that the proposal would see a better use of the current facilities by expanding public areas and create 350 extra moorings without extending the length of the Levante breakwater.
The plan also envisages improvement to the nautical club and the fishing harbour by optimising current installations to attract more boats.
This will include the demolition of the present fish auction house for a new one to be built alongside a new public plaza. The plan also includes the building of a two-storey car park and commercial premises on the Levante dock.
Mayor Eduardo Monfort said that the nautical club would move to a new location on the Levante breakwater, which, he added, would be widened to accommodate the proposed 350 new moorings.
Public works has also included a 1.5 kilometre-long pathway that will run through the Montgó natural park parallel with the port. In order to do this, access to the port needs to be improved.
If the proposal is accepted by Jávea council, Public Works in Valencia is prepared to cover the cost of the project.
As with previous plans to modernise the port area opposition will be very strong. Regional officials will have to be very convincing if they want to win over the opposition but Public Works officials said that the plan is subject to change and Jávea council is invited to take part in the whole process, especially in the awarding of any contracts.
Director general of ports Carlos Eleno will be visiting Jávea on May 12 to talk over the proposal with those concerned.
tcain@cbnews.es
Benidorm vies for Davis Cup |
News Staff Reporter
BENIDORM, Madrid, Gijón and Tenerife are the four places vying to be chosen as the venue for the forthcoming Davis Cup semi-final against the United States in September.
Between April 29 and May 8 a team from the Spanish tennis federation will visit the four short-listed venues to see what facilities are on offer and to formulate a report on each of them.
On May 9 the federation will make its decision which will then be forwarded to the international tennis federation.
Benidorm is hoping that its plan to use Terra Mítica as the venue, where 20,000 spectators can be comfortably accommodated, will attract the vote of the judges.
Terra Mítica has been chosen because of its ease of access and its parking facilities. Another plus for the town is that hotel spaces will be available because the cup semi final is to be played towards the end of September.
Spanish tennis federation spokesman Joaquín García said that a number of factors have to be taken into account before making any decision one of which is whether a particular venue can be cost effective or not.
News Staff Reporter
A JUDGE has ordered three men to be detained in prison following a brutal attack on a family in Campello on Sunday.
Police say that the men, all from Scotland, allegedly forced their way into a house on Calle Madrid following an argument with the owner and carried out a brutal attack, which left him needing surgery for a damaged jaw.
An officer said that two of the aggressors got into an argument with the victim when he challenged them about the noise they were making in the street.
The two men went away but came back shortly with a third man and forced their way into the property. Once inside they began punching and kicking the victim and also hit his wife and mother-in-law.
Police called to the scene found overturned flower pots and blood on the kitchen floor. The victim was found lying on the stairs, bleeding profusely from the nose and mouth. Outside they found a youth sitting on a wall also bleeding from the nose.
The victim, his wife and mother-in-law were taken to San Juan hospital for treatment, while the three alleged aggressors were arrested.
During a court appearance on Wednesday all the accused claim they acted in self defence.
Continued from front page
Without being alarmist, Leslie said that she wanted to warn all parents of the need to keep an eye on their children. She has no idea why these two individuals targeted her home or why they keep coming back.
She said: “If I lost any of my children I would find it very hard to deal with and cannot imagine how I would feel if I didn’t alert people to the danger and a child went missing.”
Local Police in San Vicente have told Leslie and Nigel that if they see the car again they should attempt to get its registration number and give it to them straight away.
The British Consul in Alicante has also been informed of the incident.
MADDIE ANNIVERSARY
The warning of possible child abductions in the area comes a year after the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in Praia da Luz, Portugal.
Despite a Europe-wide search for Maddie, including several visits to the Spanish Costas and Madrid by parents Gerry and Kate, there has been no trace of the missing child.
Posters appealing for information can still be seen in some areas and information can be given to Crimestoppers in the UK on 0800 555 111.
Special events are being scheduled in the UK this weekend and Portuguese police are continuing their investigations.
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