View Full Version : Man suspected of murdering his girlfriend in Tenerife is back in UK
A MAN who was charged with murdering his girlfriend in Tenerife has been flown back to the UK.
Andrew Crowther, 51, was arrested in August 2007 after Margaret Mary Manley was found strangled and stabbed in his Los Cristianos flat.
He allegedly walked into the pub below, covered in blood, and asked: “Where do I live?”
Mr Crowther, then 47, denied murdering Mary, 40, from Belfast, and told a court on the island he did not remember anything.
It is thought he was sent to a psychiatric unit and has never stood trial.
But Mr Crowther, of Washington, Tyne and Wear, is now being assessed in a British hospital.
Police said: “Northumbria police helped facilitate the pre-arranged transportation of a passenger arriving at Newcastle airport.”
source (http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2011/07/26/man-suspected-of-murdering-his-girlfriend-in-tenerife-is-back-in-uk-115875-23297253/)
A WASHINGTON man charged with murdering his partner in Tenerife, has been flown back to North East despite having never stood trial.
Andrew Crowther, 51, was arrested after the body of his girlfriend Margaret Manley was found at the apartment they shared in Los Christianos.
Mr Crowther allegedly wandered into a bar covered in blood saying “where do I live” following the incident in August 2007.
When Spanish Police went to the apartment, which the couple had shared for about eight months, they found Ms Manley’s body. She had been strangled.
Mr Crowther, who was then 47, denied murdering Ms Manley, 40, from Belfast, telling the Spanish authorities he could not remember anything.
An investigating judge ordered Mr Crowther, who denied the murder, to be assessed at a psychiatric unit, but no trial is believed to have taken place in relation to the charge.
The Echo understands Mr Crowther was flown home to the region three weeks ago before being taken to a North East hospital where he is currently under assessment.
It is unclear if he will be returned to Tenerife and police have been making efforts to contact Ms Manley’s next of kin.
Mr Crowther, a builder by trade, originates from Washington but also lived for sometime in Bearpark near Durham City. After his arrest, detectives searched a large five bedroom, twin-garaged detached property where he had lived, but nothing resulted from their investigations.
Northumbria Police had been liaising with the Spanish authorities prior to Mr Crowther’s arrival back in the country.
A spokeswoman for the force said: “Northumbria Police helped facilitate the pre-planned transportation of a passenger arriving at Newcastle
source (http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/crime/washington_man_accused_of_murder_in_spain_is_trans ferred_to_north_east_hospital_for_psychiatric_asse ssment_1_3616783)
caroletenerife
27-07-2011, 18:55
Is this whats going to happen to the Bulgarian guy?
Harmonicaman
27-07-2011, 19:14
I remember this, it was the Polygon bar he walked into wasn't it?
Is this whats going to happen to the Bulgarian guy?
It has been said that he won't stand trial because of his mental condition, it has also been reported that he will never be free.
caroletenerife
27-07-2011, 21:59
I hope not, i dont know the Spanish system, i hope it is more stringent that the wishy washy UK equivalent
QUESTIONS were today raised as to why a Washington man accused of murder in Tenerife was allowed to fly home without standing trial.
As revealed in the Echo, Andrew Crowther landed back in the North East at the beginning of this month after spending four years in a psychiatric hospital in Tenerife.
The 51-year-old was arrested in August 2007 on the Spanish island after his partner Margaret Manley, 40, was discovered in the apartment they shared in the popular Los Christianos beach resort. She had been strangled to death.
Mr Crowther, originally from Washington, was charged with her murder, which he denied, claiming he could not remember anything.
Despite never standing trial, on July 3 he was flown into Newcastle Airport and is now believed to be under a 28-day assessment order at a North East hospital.
However, it remains unclear what will happen to him at the end of the assessment, since he is not facing any criminal proceedings in this country.
Northumbria Police said their only involvement with Mr Crowther was with his transportation back to the UK.
It can also be revealed that Mr Crowther, a builder by trade, is not currently under the supervision of MAPPA, which manages offenders and dangerous people living in the region, as he is not technically a criminal in this country.
Martin Callanan, MEP for the North East, today said: “It’s extremely concerning that a man accused of murdering someone could be put back on the streets.
“But at the end of the day, if you’ve not committed any offence in the UK then it’s difficult to see what the British authorities can do about it.”
Mr Crowther is understood to be currently be under the care of Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Mental Health Trust and is being treated in a North East Hospital. It is possible that after the assessment he could be referred to MAPPA if he is deemed to be dangerous.
Mr Callanan added: “I would presume the relevant authorities are doing what they can but it is a difficult because if you haven’t committed a crime here in the UK then you can’t be detained for it.
“It’s a very difficult situation but, as I said, is extremely concerning.”
A Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Mental Health Trust spokesman said they were unable to confirm any details on individual cases.
A spokesman for the Foreign Office added: “We were aware when he was arrested at the time and provided assistance to his family but are not involved with anything else.”
Police have been attempting to contact Ms Manley’s next of kin.
source (http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/crime/why_was_washington_man_accused_of_murder_allowed_t o_leave_spain_1_3620537)
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