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Suspect arrested after 84-year-old British tourist dies in horror Spain robbery
The holidaymaker had met his suspected attacker, 61 years his junior, on a dating app
An 84-year-old British tourist has died after a suspected robbery arranged through a dating app turned violent in Maspalomas, on the Canary Island of Gran Canaria, in a case that police believe may be linked to a wider pattern of criminals targeting older male visitors in the Canary Islands.
The fatal incident happened on March 15 in the popular south Gran Canaria resort, where the victim was staying in a holiday apartment. According to investigators, the man had arranged to meet a younger man through a dating app in what he believed would be a social encounter.
Police say the meeting was allegedly used as a trap to steal from him.
During the encounter, the suspect is believed to have tried to take the tourist’s valuables. When the victim realised what was happening and attempted to stop him from leaving, a struggle broke out.
According to sources close to the investigation, the elderly man was allegedly pushed during the confrontation, causing him to fall and suffer a fatal head injury.
The suspected attacker, a 23-year-old Spanish man, fled Gran Canaria after the incident and travelled to Tenerife, where he reportedly went into hiding.
National Police officers tracked him down and arrested him on Wednesday in Tenerife. Investigators believe he may already have resumed using dating apps in an effort to target further victims.
The suspect has now been remanded in custody.
Police also arrested the man’s 44-year-old partner, a Spanish woman from mainland Spain, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. She was brought before a judge but later released on bail, with the condition that she reports to the court regularly.
Investigators are now trying to establish whether she played an active role in the alleged crimes or whether she helped cover up what happened.
The case has raised concerns over what officers describe as a possible pattern of criminals using dating platforms to lure vulnerable victims, particularly older male tourists, into private meetings before stealing cash and valuables.
Police are examining whether the suspect may have been using this method for some time.
In one previous case linked to the same man, a victim is believed to have lost around €20,000.
Officers are now working to determine whether the Maspalomas killing was an isolated incident or part of a wider series of robberies.
The investigation remains ongoing, and police have not ruled out the possibility of more victims coming forward.
Image: Policía Nacional
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