It was not until two days after the death of her only son at the beginning of last week, when he had just been arrested by the Local Police in Marbella, that his mother heard the tragic news over the telephone. Miguel, the gardener at the house where he lived, on the Casablanca development, recognised him in the photograph printed in SUR.
The dead man’s mother spent 24 hours in Marbella last week before returning to Brussels. But her visit was fruitless; she did not manage to find out exactly what had happened to her son and decided to put the matter in the hands of a lawyer.
How did you hear about your son’s tragic death?
Lieven died at midday on Monday but it was not until four or five on Wednesday afternoon that the police phoned me to ask if I was his mother. As they didn’t say any more I decided to phone Miguel, who has been in charge of maintenance at the house and has worked for us for 25 or 30 years. He told me that my son had died.
Have you heard all about what happened when the police arrested Lieven?
No. I don’t know anything but I’ll be back next week (referring to this week) because I’ve got to find out.
Has nobody explained anything to you?
Nobody has said anything - just that my son was a good man and very well-mannered. He was a language teacher. He had worked at the Nicaraguan Embassy in Brussels as a Spanish translator. He had lived here in Marbella ever since he was little. He went to the European School in Brussels but he spent all his holidays here with his grandmother, who is dead now.
How long has your son had links with Marbella?
The house was built by my mother-in-law, his paternal grandmother, in 1968. There was an international university school in Marbella and my son studied there for two years and lived here then. Everyone knows him. He loved surfing, which he did on the coast. He even came first once in a championship held between Puerto Banús and Marbella. He was very sporty. He used to swim in the sea twice a day.
Was he aggressive?
No, he wasn’t. The truth is that I can’t understand how this happened. He was in Brussels until February 2nd. He intended to stay in Marbella for a fortnight to check that the house was in order because my husband died two months ago.
What did he do for a living?
He had taught languages in Marbella but of late he was into computers as he had done a course in Madrid. He spoke four languages fluently.
Are you intending to take legal action?
I can’t say at the moment because I don’t know anything about what happened that day. The only thing I’ve been told is that my son died. But I’ll carry on until it’s all been clarified. I’ve got to know what happened. This is not normal. I knew my son well. We lived very near each other. He was perfect. He loved his father very much. I just don’t understand how this has happened.
Some people have said that your son was drunk when the police tried to arrest him. Did he have a drink problem?
He drank a normal amount - a glass of wine with lunch - no more.
Do you intend to take his body back to Brussels?
I’ll have to wait. What’s more they haven’t let me see his body. He was more Spanish than Belgian because he loved Spain and he’s been in a lot of places all over the country. The neighbours have said that he was badly affected by his father’s death. I’d never seen him like that. I always told Lieven that we had to fight together for more life.
Do you think he could have done something to the police who were trying to arrest him?
I think that if he tried to run away it was to save his life, not to die.
The Mayor reacted four days later
Four days after Lieven de Wilde died last week when he had just been arrested by Marbella Local Police, the Mayor, Marisol Yagüe, finally reacted to the ensuing political crisis.
She dictated a note over the telephone from her holiday resort in the Caribbean, to say that she was aware of what was happening in the town, said a municipal spokesman.
The Partido Popular retorted with a statement advising Yagüe to “stop dictating press releases from the Caribbean and return to Marbella and face the music”. Her absence, despite the seriousness of the situation in Marbella, where the Belgian had died in the street in the full light of day surrounded by four police officers, brought severe criticism from the opposition parties. Municipal sources pointed out that she was trying to bring forward the date of her return.
However she was in fact still in Spain - in Madrid - on the day that Lieven died but decided to go on holiday instead of returning to Marbella.
The most violent
The four police officers, who are all on manslaughter charges, took part in an identity parade last week before witnesses of the Belgian’s death. Several of these witnesses agreed on which of the four policemen had allegedly put his knee on the victim’s neck. Another of the officers, they said, had used violence, hitting the Belgian with his truncheon when he was agitated and resisted arrest. But the lawyer defending the four policemen, Regina Román, ruled out independent defence for each of them.
News Article Courtesy of Sur in English
Please the web site of www.surinenglish.com
