A German man who is a resident of Tenerife has been accused of murdering his wife and 10 year old son in a cave near Adeje. The bodies of the woman and child were discovered on Wednesday after hikers found a 5-year-old boy who said his father had taken the family to a cave and attacked them. Early reports suggest the woman and her 10 year old son were beaten to death.
The father responded violently to the arrest and refused to reveal the location of the rest of his family members, according El Pais newspaper.
Local officials are treating the deaths as a domestic violence case and a local court that specialises in crimes against women has taken charge of the investigation. The Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez commented on the murders saying
‘“The worst news arrives from Adeje (Tenerife). A woman and her son have been killed. Again the #ViolenciaMachista [gendered violence] hits double. A son of the couple managed to escape. All my love for him, for his family and loved ones. We have to end this.”
He has made women’s rights a key campaign topic for the general election this month. More than 990 women have been killed by their partners or former partners since 2003, when official Spanish records on such killings began. Deputy Prime Minister Calvo said 18 women had been murdered by partners or ex-partners so far this year. She condemned the Adeje case, saying “we must stop criminal machismo”.
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