Irish man suspected of killing girlfriend in Spain refused bail

The unnamed 30-year-old was arrested at the four-star Magnolia Hotel in the Costa Dorada holiday resort of Salou on Sunday night. Picture: AP/Manu Mielniezuk

An Irish man suspected of killing his girlfriend at a Spanish holiday hotel has been remanded to prison after a court hearing.

The hearing at Tarragona’s Court of Violence Against Women, a specialist court, took place behind-closed-doors and no details of what was said were made public.

The unnamed 30-year-old was arrested at the four-star Magnolia Hotel in the Costa Dorada holiday resort of Salou on Sunday night.

He was found with a “self-inflicted” wrist wound alongside the body of his partner, who is alleged to have been strangled, in a corridor outside their room at the adults’-only hotel.

A spokesman for the investigating magistrate confirmed: “The Court of Violence Against Women in Tarragona today received the man arrested over the death of his partner at a hotel in Salou on Sunday.

“The investigating magistrate agreed to provisionally remand him in prison without bail.

The case has been classified as a crime of homicide/assassination and will be categorised more specifically as the investigation progresses.” 

Formal charges are only laid in Spain shortly before trial. The suspect has now been formally declared an "investigado" — literally a person under investigation — following the hearing.

The  investigation will now take several months — if not longer —and end with the judge deciding whether to recommend charges and invite a prosecutor to submit an indictment.

The suspect can be summoned for further questioning at any time.

Any witnesses to Sunday’s incident at the four-star Magnolia Hotel, or anyone the police and judge feel could provide any relevant evidence, will have given their testimony before Wednesday's hearing or will be called in the coming days to testify.

Their evidence will also be given in private.

The suspect has not been named by Spanish authorities.