Resort remembers dead children

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  • xman
    Admin
    • Sep 2006
    • 24007

    Resort remembers dead children


    A minute's silence has been held in a Spanish resort where two British children were found dead in a hotel.People in Lloret de Mar remembered Rebecca, five, and 11-month-old Daniel, whose mother Lianne Smith, 43, is being held on suspicion of their murder.

    Post-mortem examinations are due to be carried out on their bodies later.

    Their father Martin Smith, 45, of North Shields, is in custody in the UK facing unrelated child sex offences following his extradition from Spain this week.

    Mr Smith, 45, who is the partner of Lianne Smith, was remanded at Carlisle Magistrates' Court on Wednesday until 7 June.

    Mother questioned

    He was told on Tuesday their children had been found at Hotel Miramar in the Costa Brava resort.

    Mr Smith was extradited over 13 charges of sexual offences against a girl aged between seven and 18 and for failing to answer police bail.

    The BBC's Sarah Rainsford in Lloret de Mar said he had been arrested in Barcelona on 7 May.

    He was charged with six counts of gross indecency with or towards a girl aged under 16 between 1995 and 2001; six counts of rape of a girl aged under 16 between 2001 and 2005 and one count of attempted rape of a girl under the age of 16 between 1997 and 2001.

    Wearing a blue top, he confirmed his name and date of birth but gave no plea. He will appear at Carlisle Crown Court next month.

    Spanish police found the children's bodies shortly before 1400 local time on Tuesday in a room at the four-star hotel in the resort in the north-eastern province of Girona.

    The discovery came after Mrs Smith asked the hotel reception desk for help.

    According to our correspondent, the hotel's receptionist said Mrs Smith told her she needed to speak to the police and had appeared calm before returning to her room.

    Mrs Smith has been moved to the town of Blanes where she is being questioned by police.

    Police have 72 hours from the time of arrest before they must present their case to a magistrate who will decide whether to press charges.

    Police said there were no outward signs of violence but officers have not confirmed reports in Spanish newspapers that the children were suffocated.

    Reports Mrs Smith had given a confession had also not been confirmed by police, our correspondent added.

    The room where the bodies were found remains sealed off, although the hotel has reopened.

    Police said the family were on holiday in the resort, which is a popular destination for British holidaymakers.

    The receptionist told the BBC the family had been at the resort since Saturday and daughter Rebecca would often wave to the workers.

    Estonian tourist Siiri Sonajalg, 47, who was also staying at the hotel, said she was shocked.

    "The hotel and police didn't tell us anything. I didn't sleep very well last night because I was just wondering what the mother was feeling when she woke up that morning.

    "I feel very sad. I keep thinking about what happened."

    Mrs Smith and her daughter were reported missing from the Staffordshire area in December 2007.

    Staffordshire Police said shortly before this time the pair had moved to Lichfield from Cumbria.

    In a statement they said: "Our officers have worked closely with Staffordshire Social Services, Cumbria Police and, once it was established that the family were believed to be abroad, Interpol and other law enforcement agencies to trace the family."


    The year the family went missing, Mr Smith had appeared on the television programme Most Haunted as a guest psychic investigating alleged paranormal occurrences at Brougham Hall near Penrith.This article is from the BBC News website. ? British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.


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