Edition 33
www.thecourier.es
Friday, October 7, 2011
BE WARNED! Attack on pensioners sparks mugging alert EXCLUSIVE by DONNA GEE AN elderly British couple were brutally mugged by two ‘’foreign looking’’ teenagers in Gran Alacant on Monday evening.
Beverley Ballesteros: ‘Don’t carry a handbag if you can avoid it’
And the daughter of victim Anita Falk promptly warned female residents and holidaymakers NOT to carry handbags if they can avoid it. Mrs Falk and her partner Sam Edelman were left bruised and shocked by the 10pm attack in brightly lit Avenida Escandinavia – just yards from where they are staying. Anita’s handbag was on her shoulder when the villains struck. ‘‘That was clearly the target,’’ said her daughter Beverley Ballesteros. ‘‘They tried to grab it from behind and she and Sam were both pulled to the ground in the melee. ‘‘They were lucky not to be more seriously
hurt – but the attack only happened because my mother had that bag over her shoulder.’’ Anita, from Manchester, had her passport, credit cards and 400 euros in the bag, which has not been recovered. The Guardia Civil are investigating the attack on the couple, who are on a long-term visit to the area. But Beverley, who lives in El Altet, warned: ‘’With the euro crisis, there is a lot more poverty in Spain. And poverty breeds crime. ‘‘People feel safe in Gran Alacant but these guys now know that there’s rich pickings to be had in the town. ‘‘After the haul they got from my mother, they’ll know there is easy money around so it’s important that people are vigilant. ‘‘I don’t want anyone else to suffer the way my mother did. The best way to deal with the threat is NOT to carry a handbag if you can avoid it – particularly at night.’’
‘’People feel safe in Gran Alacant but these guys now know there’s rich pickings to be had in the town’
TODAY’S INSIDE STORY WE realise our front page this week is rather depressing - but we promise there’s plenty of good news inside your Courier this week. Well, maybe not plenty but there IS, as ever, loads to read, happy and sad, local and international. Have a giggle with DAVE SILVER’s fun column on Page 10 and a belly laugh at HAROLD HEYS’ cooking advice on Page 20 for men who can’t tell an egg from a banana. With the Rugby World Cup now at the knockout stage, England legend WADE DOOLEY, assesses the outcome of this weekend’s quarter-final games on Pages 47 and 48. Oh, and don’t forget our unrivalled telly section on Pages 35-42.