Six British tourists were arrested in the early hours of Saturday in the centre of Elche after assaulting a 36-year-old man, according to witnesses, without any apparent cause. Following the assault they ran off in different directions, each also resisting arrest when confronted later that morning by the national police.
What began as a night of partying ended with their detention by police, their custody in Elche police cells for over 48 hours and their appearance before the Elche courts.
All of the men, believed to be between the ages of 22 and 26 years of age have since been charged with several crimes of assault and attacks on the authority after fighting with the officers who made the arrests.
They were called to the scene by several pedestrians who witnessed their assault on a 36-year-old man while he was having a drink with his friends in the city centre. They described the aggression as “indiscriminate,” as it occurred without there being any previous conflict or dispute between the British youths and the victim. The witnesses, of course, said they were all very drunk,
The events occurred around three in the morning, near the Paseo de la Estación. According to police sources, the tourists were walking around the area when they approached the victim, who was with his friends, and hit him with several blows before running from the area.
Several National Police patrols of the National Police of Elche then began to look for the youths in the city centre. Although they had separated into two groups they were quickly found just a few metres from the place where the assault occurred.
The six violently resisted their arrest, kicking and punching the police patrols. However, the agents managed to apprehend them all and they were transferred to police cells.
The men all appeared in court on Monday in the Elche City of Justice. According to police reports, none of them has a police record in Spain.
