A man wanted in Britain over the attempted murder of a 21-year-old in Newcastle has been arrested in Marbella after spending almost three years on the run.
The suspect had been released on bail in the UK but fled before he was due to appear in court on May 3, 2023.
He was finally tracked down on the Costa del Sol on April 3 this year, when he was arrested in Marbella at around 1.30pm on an international arrest warrant issued by the British authorities.
The Audiencia Nacional has now approved his extradition to the UK, where he is expected to stand trial over a brutal knife attack in Newcastle.
The alleged assault took place during the night of July 2, 2022, according to the extradition ruling.
The victim had just left a restaurant when a grey Audi A3 carrying several men pulled up nearby.
Some of those inside were allegedly armed with knives and machetes.
The victim is said to have attempted to defend himself from one of the men using a broom.
During the confrontation, the broom handle broke and both men fell to the ground.
One of the alleged attackers then restrained the victim by sitting on his chest before repeatedly stabbing him in the head, chest and arms, according to the account provided by the British authorities.
Another alleged participant is said to have returned to the scene and stabbed the victim in the back.
Attack captured on CCTV
British investigators said the attack was recorded by security cameras.
Evidence gathered in the investigation also includes messages exchanged between the defendants following the attack and fingerprints recovered from the rear door of the Audi.
Mobile phone location data allegedly placed the wanted man close to the restaurant and also helped investigators reconstruct the movements of the vehicle.
British authorities accuse the suspect of playing a direct role in the attack and allege that he was the person who repeatedly stabbed the victim while he was pinned to the ground.
He appeared before a court in Newcastle in April 2023 after being charged with attempted murder, possession of a bladed weapon and failing to surrender to the court after being granted bail.
He was ordered to return to court on May 3, 2023, but failed to appear.
Almost three years later, the trail led investigators to Marbella.
Interpol informed Spain’s Central Court that the fugitive had been arrested there on April 3, 2026, triggering extradition proceedings before the Audiencia Nacional.
Extradition to Britain approved
The suspect initially opposed being returned to Britain.
However, during a subsequent hearing before the Audiencia Nacional’s Criminal Chamber, he confirmed his identity and consented to his extradition.
In a ruling dated July 15, 2026, Spanish judges concluded that the legal requirements for surrendering him to the British authorities had been met.
The court stressed that it was deciding solely whether the extradition could proceed and was not determining whether the suspect was guilty of the allegations against him.
However, the judges refused to extradite him specifically for the separate bladed-weapon possession offence.
The court found that the conduct described by the British authorities did not constitute an equivalent criminal offence in Spain under the circumstances presented in the extradition request.
Life sentence guarantee
The extradition also comes with a condition concerning the potential sentence the suspect could receive in Britain.
The Audiencia Nacional noted that the attempted murder charge could potentially carry a life sentence in the UK.
Spain has therefore required a guarantee that, should a life sentence ultimately be imposed, it must be capable of being reviewed either at the defendant’s request or, at the latest, after 20 years.
Once the extradition order becomes final, the man must be handed over to the British authorities within a maximum of 10 days.
Any time he has spent deprived of his liberty in Spain while the extradition proceedings were taking place will be credited towards his detention in the UK.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
