A 64-year-old British woman has been arrested in Benidorm on suspicion of strangling her 66-year-old female friend with a vacuum cleaner lead during an argument, according to Spanish police.
The incident occurred in an apartment in Benidorm's 'Little England' area, popular with British expats and tourists. A third woman, also believed to be British, called emergency services around midnight, but the victim was already dead when police arrived.
The suspect is said to have confessed to the murder after being taken into custody. Local reports indicate the victim was found with the cable still around her neck, and a post-mortem has confirmed strangulation.
The arrested woman was taken to a health centre for a medical examination before being transferred to a police station. The vacuum cleaner lead has been sent for forensic DNA testing, and detectives have taken a statement from the witness.
A court is overseeing the investigation, pending a full police report and the results of the complete post-mortem. The victim's body was removed from the scene around 3am. The nature of the relationship between the suspect and victim, as well as the nationality of the third woman, has not been disclosed.
