PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE A hidden mosque, Spain’s richest architects and a 3D printed mud home All in our Property Magazine inside
OLIVE PRESS
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Vol. 16 Issue 405 www.theolivepress.es October 19th - November 1st 2022
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IT might be a scary time for buyers and sellers in more ways than one as Halloween approaches. But while purchasers are being haunted by rising interest rates and spooked by the fluctuating pound, record numbers of foreigners are STILL queuing up to buy in Spain. According to new figures, the first half of the year saw 73,000 homes sold to investors from abroad, a 53% jump on last year.
Rape victim appeals for new look at crimes that may have involved German Maddie suspect in Spain EXCLUSIVE By Jon Clarke
her alleged attacker Brueckner in a German court in the Spring. Waving her right to anonymity, the mother-of-three, from Dublin, added: “Victims and their families deserve answers and closure. If there is any indication that Brueckner could be connected to a crime, then this needs the full attention of the police and warrants, at the very least, further investigation.” In addition to Behan, prosecutors in Germany have charged Brueckner with two further rapes, one of a teenage girl, around 15, as well as another woman in her ‘70s or 80s’.
Granada
CHARGES: Brueckner faces five new sex crimes, including rape of Behan (right) the Dragon music festival in March 2007 and 2008 and he was a regular visitor ‘until at least 2011’ revealed various former friends. “He was here on dozens of occasions in many vehicles, including his Jaguar, the famous VW van and even his giant winnebago,” one confirmed to the paper this week. “He was mostly coming here to buy and sell drugs, but who knows what else he got up to,” he added. It was allegedly during a week-long visit to the Dragon bash in 2008 that he admitted to friends he was involved in the snatching of Maddie, then 3, on
the Algarve, in May 2007. One Orgiva resident, Jo Chipchase, a mother-of-two, is ‘horrified’ that he could be behind crimes in her area. Chipchase, who attended the Dragon Festival and other parties at the time, added: “I often took my kids so it is horrifying to think that an international sexual predator was mingling among families using Antiques – Jewellers - Pawnbrokers the itinerant and largely traveller community to hide within. “I was completely unALL TYPES OF aware of the dark element that was clearly WATCHES AND lurking, but it would be JEWELLERY IN a perfect way to mask his sick activities.” ANY CONDITION The former PR executive, 50, added: “I ALSO, SILVER,
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All three rapes were filmed, after he had attacked and bound the victims. He will also face two charges of assaulting young children as far apart as 2007 and 2017. The Olive Press revealed in 2020 that Brueckner was a regular visitor to the Alpujarra region of Granada and stayed for many days at a time. He was certainly in the Orgiva area for
Record
And, despite Brexit, the British are still coming top with over 8,000 home sales this year. They, along with nearly 14,000 French and Germans, made the first half of 2022 an all-time high for foreign buyers. Meanwhile, sales in Marbella have seen ‘historic peaks’ and ‘even bidding wars, something seldom seen before’, revealed Chris Clover, of Panorama. “While 2021 saw historic sales, the first half of 2022 has seen unprecedented record-breaking sales, in fact an increase of 73%,” he said.
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POLICE in Spain are being urged to re-open any unsolved rape or child abuse cases that could involve a foreigner over the past two decades. It comes after dangerous paedophile Christian Brueckner was charged with five more serious sex crimes on the Algarve between 2000 and 2017. The German rapist, who has been named as an official suspect in the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann, spent long periods of time in Spain. He criss-crossed the country on ‘dozens of occasions’, frequently staying in Granada, as well as Malaga, Almeria and Valencia, from 1995. Expats and locals are joining an Irish rape victim - allegedly attacked by Brueckner, 45, in 2004 - who believes there are ‘likely’ many more victims across the Iberian Peninsula. Hazel Behan, 39, told the Olive Press this week: “Given what we know about Brueckner’s past, alongside the crimes he has recently been charged with, surely it makes sense to revisit all unsolved similar cases in areas where he was known to spend significant lengths of time.” Behan, who was raped as a young holiday rep on the Algarve, is due to face
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Opinion Page 6
...but where do Spain’s Santiago Calatrava and Spain-based Lord Norman Foster rank in the world’s wealthiest architects?
LIVING LIFE AT THE TOP See Rich by design on page 4 to find out
MALAGA offers one of the best qualities of life in Spain. Malaga, Cordoba and A new survey put Sevilla have among the best qualities of out of Spain’s mainthe city as sixth 15 cities. life in Spain ity, as well as a By Cristina Hodgson It is only beaten by Cordoba In total, it scored good airport with 66 points, with in Andalucia, in the poll by Cordoba only just beating of top great the Organisation it with 68 of 3,000places to live in the survey Forbesinternational connections. of Consumers and Users vironmental care and points in Andalucia. magazine also recently people in each of the (OCU). coun- it as one of cited Malaga was considered The city, with a climate. The the best cities to live population of the only other southern city to make try’s most populated locations. best places to live and one of the 577,405, also fared in The northern city top 10 was Sevilla scored 70 points Europe. at 10th with with praise for its costwork in Spain ‘abundance of leisure well for its 63 points, while Valencia (65) came despite having wet weather on a par The survey questioned residents’ of living, en- the facilities and seventh with Britain. opinions on mobility, digital infrastructures health and eduavailable’. Vigo, in and Alicante (64) ninth. Malaga is the fourth cation, Galicia, came top of sunniest city in ket, public safety, the labour marthe list Europe and the cost of living, has reasonable air qualpollution and urban environment, cleanliness.
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