Dublin man due before Spanish court in connection with partner’s death

A 28-year-old Dubliner is due before a Spanish court today in connection with the death of his partner at a holiday resort in the south of the country at the weekend.

Paul Hickey was arrested on Sunday after emergency personnel found the body of 26-year-old Celine Conroy at a rented villa near Alicante.

Ms Conroy was reportedly beaten to death in front of the couple's three young children, aged one, five and eight.

The family, who lived in a flat on Buckingham Street in Dublin's north inner city, had been on an extended holiday at the villa in the resort of San Fulgencio.

Other residents have told reporters that Mr Hickey, who is known to Gardai in Dublin, was a heavy drinker and frequently argued with Ms Conroy.