British man faces 25 years in jail over ‘murder’ of wife found dead in Spain

A British man is facing 25 years in prison as he goes on trial accused of murdering his wife in their Spanish home.

The suspect, named only as Michael John C, was arrested on December 4 2022, after 57-year-old Vanessa Elizabeth was found outside their property in Camposol, Murcia.

Her husband was charged with aggravated murder after initially insisting his partner had died in an accident.

His lawyer said that Michael could have knocked her over while reversing without realising when they arrived home and she got out of their car to make sure their dogs didn’t escape.

Claiming he was drunk at the time, his lawyer said in previous comments: ‘Not seeing Vanessa return, he got out of the car and found her lying on the ground, just a few inches from the car, with her head next to the curb, motionless.

‘He approached her and said, “Hello, hello, wake up.” She didn’t react, and he saw that she was bleeding.’

Public prosecutors offered a radically different version of events in a pre-trial indictment submitted to the courts.

They claim that during an argument after a day of drinking in local pubs, Michael ‘suddenly, and abusing his physical superiority over his wife, began to hit her violently in the face and body, causing her to fall to the ground in front of the house and in front of her vehicle.’

‘With the intention of inflicting great pain and severe physical and psychological suffering on Vanessa and continuing with his actions, he kicked her forcefully all over her body several times, jumped on her, immobilised her, and covered her mouth, compressing her chest.’

His defence lawyer is seeking his acquittal because he had no ‘will to kill’ and there was a total absence of ‘any conduct aimed at causing the victim’s death’.

Michael’s defence lawyer also said that a manslaughter verdict with mitigating factors including alcohol consumption would be the only ‘legally possible outcome.’

The expat had been reported to police for domestic violence several times in the past, but there was no active register in place relating to the British couple on the VioGen system in Spain, which was created in 2004 as part of a national law against gender violence.

The pair moved to the house where the incident occurred a few days earlier after spending time living in other towns nearby.

Michael is expected to take the stand on October 30, according to local reports.

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