The 78-year-old British man, accused of killing his partner with a walking stick in San Miguel de Salinas has been found guilty of murder by the Elche Provincial Court.
The verdict was delivered by a margin of 7 to 2 on Friday, at the end of the trial that began last Monday in the Audiencia de Alicante, which has its headquarters in Elche.
The court found it proven that Charlie Bevill-Warcup killed his partner, 76-year-old also Rosemary Broadwell, also British, and rejected that his behaviour was influenced by alcohol or a mental disorder. The events took place on September 14, 2014, when the couple were said to be arguing for over money. It was then that Bevill-Warcup pushed Ms Broadwell to the floor.
The prosecution claimed that the defendant then took advantage of the fact that the victim had fallen on the ground and could not get up, at which point her struck her with a walking stick.
During the trial, however, Bevill-Warcup modified his version of events and called the death of Ms Broadwell, “an accident” after explaining that she had hit her head on the kitchen counter after he gave her a push.
Prosecutors alleged that the assailant didn’t give the woman any opportunity to defend herself as he stood over her with the cane. They demanded a sentence of 19 years’ imprisonment for murder.
However, in announcing the verdict the jury felt there were some mitigating circumstances which they said should be taken into account when the judge finally passes sentence.
Two days after the incident he drove her to a secluded area in Algorfa where he tried to bury her body in a shallow grave, covering her with branches, before reporting her disappearance to the Civil Guard.
However he ended up confessing to the crime in March 2015.
It is understood that sentence will be passed in the coming days.
