Rob Horgan
GIBRALTAR is in shock this evening after the Rock’s biggest murder in recent memory with police officers who found the horrific scene offered counselling.
After a family of four comprising two children of Spanish nationalities – a girl aged four and another of six weeks – was found dead in a flat in Boschetti’s Steps, a murder investigation has been launched.
The family has not been named but the adults are so far identified as a 31-year-old British man from Liverpool and a 37-year-old Spanish female.
A policeman working on the Gibraltar family murder investigation revealed: “Some of the first policemen on the scene have been offered counselling and a lot will accept because the scene was so horrific.
“It was that disturbing.”
El Mundo reported that the woman and the two girls had all had their throats slashed.
Royal Gibraltar Police (RGP) is not currently looking for anyone else involved and reported that policeman forced entry to the murder scene, where the light was still on, to find the family.
Police are waiting for two Home Office pathologists to fly out from the UK, one specialising in paediatrics, on the first plane tomorrow to conduct the post mortems, after which more details will be released.
Officers are also trying to get in touch with the victims’ next of kin before publically identifying them.
Neighbours have been told not to talk to the press and the tight-knit community is in shock.
A restaurant owner said: “This is Gibraltar, where nothing like this normally happens so we are all looking out for each other at this horrible time.”
Fabian Picardo, chief minister, today held a minute’s silence for the deceased and tweeted at 10.15pm: ‘Black day for Gibraltar. As our small Nation settles down for the night thoughts with decease their families and @RGPolice & @GHAWeb officers’.
Commotion was heard in the Governor’s Lane area between 10.45am and 11am today when a neighbour raised the alarm after hearing screaming.
This led to police officers forcing entry to the property and finding the murder scene.
The family had been living in Spain for a while but it is believed, had only been in Gibraltar for a few days in the rented apartment.
As usual with the habitants of Gibraltar no one says anything when it comes to peaple being stabbed to death when the police ask no one should talk, the same with the Campbell stabbing in Cumberland Road not so long ago.
While I agree that the RGP may be a little optimistic about asking for no speculation, the circumstances here seem to be far different from that in Cumberland Road.
This seems to be a largely contained incident. That remains an unexplained/unresolved incident.
this is very upsetting and my thoughts and prayers go to those who are close to them at this very questioning time, they really do , but if like myself unless people feel they can use social media and the freedom of speech to say what they have seen, heard etc even speculat, the police and family only have what ends up in court to go on and unfortunately not everything is looked at.When it comes to the police investigation, SOCO etc can only go on what they have as solid evidence to present to the court and this day and age social networks can be so much more in helping the friends,family’s and the police in telling not the truth but the WHOLE TRUTH and everything that is being said and even speculated that can change we think for worce or even results that we wouldn’t have thought of.
to try and stop people talking is without a doubt the exact opposite of what they should do in helping everything being looked at