Lovable rascal

THERE have been many self ­ proclaimed ‘lovable rascals’ living on the Costa del Sol and one of the most memorable, Ronnie Knight recently passed away aged 89.

Initially best known to the general public as the husband of the late Dame Barbara Windsor, who was his second wife in a partnership that lasted 21 years, he found a second home in Spain prior to any extradition treaty coming into effect. His knowledge of the law ensured that he was acquitted in 1980 after being charged with the murder of gangster Alfredo ‘Italian Tony’ Zomparelli, who stabbed and killed his brother David, but when he later confirmed in 1998 that he had hired a ‘hitman’ (which he denied again in 2002), he couldn’t be charged again due to the ‘double jeopardy’ law.

He ran away to the Costa del Sol in 1984, on the same day that his brother John was arrested on suspicion of being involved in a major robbery at Security Express the previous year.

Thus began his 10 ­ year ­ sojourn on Spain’s Costa del Sol where he opened an Indian restaurant as well as a nightclub and bar and once established in Fuengirola and having kept possession of a local property following his divorce from Barbara Windsor, he had a high profile marriage to third wife Sue Haylock.

With money troubles, he was lured back to the UK by the News of the World with a promise of big money for his exclusive story, he was arrested and charged with handling £315,000 of the cash stolen from Security Express.

Since his release he moved to Cambridge and died from pneumonia on June 12 having suffered from Parkinson’s disease.

22

IKEA is steaming ahead with its major expansion plans in the Spanish market. The Swedish homeware giant expects to close its 2023 books, which they do in August, with a 5 per cent increase in revenue.

If successful, this achievement would push their earnings above €1.9 billion, a record for the company. This optimistic projection comes directly from the company’s annual financial report submitted to the Spanish Commercial Registry and announced on Friday, June 23.

The report provides a summary of their activities in 2022, a year that also saw Ikea soar to new heights, raking in €1.82 billion, an impressive 8.2 per cent increase on the previous year.