Darlington Mans 38 Hours Of Hell

WRONGFUL arrest, Imprisonment and beating by the Spanish Civil Guard

Whilst on holiday with friends I was dragged from a public house by two Spanish Civil Guards, at that moment I had no idea why but later found that I had been pointed out and accused of hitting someone in another bar.

The Spanish Civil Guards, who I thought at that time were the local Police just as you would find in Darlington, took me across the road towards their car, then past their car along a dirt track. At the same time someone behind was kicking me. As they dragged me up towards a very dark corner of the building I started to struggle shouting “you’re not taking me round there”, they were going to beat me up. Just then everyone who was in the bar came out and told the Spanish Civil Guards we had done nothing and they should let me go. The Spanish Civil Guards then drew-out their truncheons and people shouted to me 'RUN'.

I ran but did not know where to run to, I ran along the path but a Spanish Civilian was following me, so I went back to the area where I had been. A lot of the people who had come to my rescue had been hit by the Spanish Civil Guards and local police, there were by then, 10/15 of them there. One of my friends had been hit on the head, he had a gash of at least 7 inches. I held a cloth to his head, there was so much blood and shouted if anyone had called an ambulance.

When the ambulance arrived and took him away the Spanish Civil Guards put me in their car, I did not want to go and asked them where they were going to take me. They never spoke one word; I was surprised when they took me back to my hotel. They took a photocopy of my passport and a note of my room number and left.

What was that all about? I couldn’t understand. When my friend came back from the hospital we where all amazed at what had happened and went to our rooms for a good nights sleep.

At 5am there was a knock at my apartment door, I asked who it was. The reply was ‘room service’. I opened the door and there stood 4 Spanish Civil Guards. They asked ‘surprised?’ There I was with nothing more than my underwear on, and yes very surprised! They asked me to get dressed, I asked what they wanted? Whilst I was dressing they where arguing amongst themselves. I did not know what about as I don’t speak any Spanish.

They took me down to the reception and one of the Spanish Civil Guards went over to the desk. I saw him lead the receptionist away and then out of the blue I was punched in the ear. I turned to the Spanish Civil Guard and asked why he did that? He looked at me full of rage and lifted his hands wanting me to retaliate. Looking to my other side and I could see one of the other Spanish Civil Guards unclip his truncheon… I ran up the stairway but I had lost my bearings I did not know where to run. One of the Spanish Civil Guards chucked his truncheon at me and I fell over but managed to get back up only to find myself in a dead end. The Spanish Civil Guards dragged me into a service area and punched me to the floor. I could see one of them by the door checking to see if anyone was coming. Then I was punched in the jaw whilst two others held me up against the wall. One of them actually drew his gun and put it up to my head. I thought he was going to kill me there and then, but also thought the only reason he didn’t was that my brains would be all over his friend’s faces if he did.

They knocked me to the floor again and started hitting me with their truncheons and kicking me in the back and legs. Then they got me to my feet and pushed me into a service lift. They took me to the lower floor and put handcuffs on me, then put me in their car. I asked where they were taking me and one of them said “to the mountains”, I thought they where going to kill me.

It was a relief when they took me to their police station, they took all my possessions and put me in a cell where I found one of the other men who had come to my rescue. He had been beaten also, he was bleeding from the head, and there was blood all over the floor and the walls - We were petrified. The cell was about 6 foot by 10 foot with one concrete bed and two blankets and it was dark with a tiny window and a flickering light, filthy dirty and the smell was horrible.

We were treated like animals, they threatened us, they spat in our faces after calling us to the window of the cell door. They asked us to sign some papers which we refused. The seconds felt like hours. We tried to sleep huddled up on this concrete bed, every shake of the Guards keys had us on edge just waiting for the next kicking. We daren’t even speak to one another and a little bit later a Frenchman joined us in the cell.

The cell was hot and dry and they kept us in there for 13 hours with no food or water. We were then handcuffed and put in the back of a large van and taken to a prison where we were put in different cells, this time with iron bars for doors. There we were given some water a bun and one piece of fruit. I drank the water and ate the fruit but could not eat the bun as I did not trust its contents.

Later they came to the cell and lead me up a corridor where an officer with rubber gloves was waiting. I was searched stripped and asked to squat 3 times completely naked. It was so humiliating. Then I was taken back to my cell.

I did not know what to think. I did not know if it was day or night, if I had slept for 5 minutes or 5 hours, I had no idea of the time. I was frightened to even ask to use the toilet but when I did it was like a shower area with a rubber hose on the wall and a hole in the floor. It smelt disgusting, there was human excrement on the walls and on the door the hole in the floor could not even be flushed of its foul content.

The next thing I knew the guard had opened my cell door and told me to fold up my blanket. I was fingerprinted and photographed, then taken to another police station / court house. At least there they had a civilized toilet I could finally use. There were 4 of us by then, my friend, a Frenchman, a Spanish man and myself. The Spanish man asked us what had happened and said the Spanish Civil Guards hate the English.

Three hours passed, we could hear people walking past ‘in the outside free world’ from the window above wishing we were them. Then we were both taken to an office, this was our trial. There on the opposite side of the desk sat a Judge - he was casually dressed and on either side of him where other ‘court’ officials, a typist and an English translator. We where told that the Judge was going to ask what happened and then decide if ‘it’ was going to be taken further.

The Judge asked for other people to come in to the room, the Spanish Civil Guards who beat us up came in. He asked them for their side of the events. It was not translated to us so we had no idea to this day what they said. Then we were asked what happened. I explained up until the point where I had ran away in the street. It was translated and that was that. I never got to tell of the beating or the gun or being told I was been taken to the mountains.

I was fined 446 euros for hitting a Spanish Civil Guard; nothing was ever mentioned about me being pointed out and accused of hitting someone in another bar. My friend was fined 1176 euros. They held our passports and we were told to pay our fines by 9pm that day or the Spanish Civil Guards would come for us and put us in jail.

We left the court and got a taxi back to our hotel, it cost 20 euros for the trip back. We collected our bank cards and returned to the court house where we were then told they did not accept cards. We returned back once more after we had raised the money. All in all the taxis cost us a further 100 euros. By then it was 7pm Saturday night, 38 hours of hell.

I still don’t know if I now have a criminal conviction, if I was found guilty or what it all means. I did not hit a Spanish Civil Guard nor did I hit anyone else. I am completely innocent - completely without blame.

Mark Burton
Tuesday, May 03, 2005