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British soldier charged in Spain after slitting the throat of her friend
The young woman slashed her pal, also from the UK, with a glass during a night out in Magaluf
British soldier Sydney Cole, 23, has been charged by the Spanish courts after an alleged glass attack in a Magaluf nightclub left her friend, Lance Corporal Sarah Garrity, in intensive care back in 2019.
Cole, then just 19, was originally released on bail pending a full investigation into the incident but a judge was forced to issue a search and arrest warrant when police couldn’t track her down for further interviews. The British soldier had reportedly changed address without informing the authorities.
The horror attack occurred four years ago on April 15 when the friends were partying at the Banana club in the Mallorca resort. According to official reports, the young women began arguing shortly before 1am and Cole cut her 22-year-old friend’s throat with a broken glass. Garrity was rushed to the Son Espases hospital where she was admitted to the ICU after losing four pints of blood and needing 14 stitches in her neck.
While on holiday in Magaluf, the pair were sharing a hotel room with another soldier pal named Deborah Ferguson, who was also reportedly involved in the bust-up that broke out after an all-day drinking session.
Palma prosecutors submitted an indictment despite the fact that the victim told the Spanish authorities she didn’t want to press charges. Cole claims that during the fight a glass fell to the floor and accidentally injured her friend, but two witnesses standing nearby gave statements indicating that the serious wound was deliberately inflicted.
Two Mallorcan lawyers for the defence have since given up the case after a series of disagreements with a British lawyer who is working with the accused and her family.
A well-placed source said that a trial date has yet to be set but that it’s likely to happen before the end of the year.
They said: “Before state prosecutors indict her Cole has to be questioned again under oath.
“The problem has been that the coronavirus pandemic kicked in and it has to be done via videoconference and it’s been suspended on more than one occasion. No date has yet been set for the court quiz. It could be another month or two months away. But it will happen and it’s a simple bureaucratic formality that needs to precede the issuing of the indictment.”
In other news: Brit cop, 26, dies on holiday in Mallorca
Image: Facebook
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