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Violent American wrecks British family dream of living in Spain
| Published: | 16 Sep at 6 PM |
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A British family planning to move to Spain for a better quality of life have reversed their decision after being attacked in Marbella by a maniacal American expat wielding a baseball bat. Property developer Julian Higgins, his Chinese wife Lydia and their two children Leo and Jasmine were all set to move to a new, more peaceful life somewhere on Spain’s Costa del Sol. Having noted the increasing spiral of violence in London, the couple decided the best way to keep their children safe and happy was to leave the UK, settle in Spain and enjoy its lowered crime rates and liberal lifestyle.
Before the actual move, the family decided to test the waters with a stay at Lydia’s uncle’s villa in a pleasant part of Estepona. The Forest Hills area seemed safe and all was well until Julian parked his rental car close by the house, which apparently annoyed an American neighbour.
The man left an offensive note telling Julian to ‘remove his s**t car’ on Julian’s windscreen, and the situation became a major nightmare when Julian attempted to remove the note. Without any warning, the neighbour erupted from his house carrying a baseball bat and swung it at Julian and his family, hitting Lydia on her shoulder as she was carrying their one-year old son. screaming racial abuse at her and threatening to murder the entire family.
Julian immediately jumped in to defend his wife and children, and was hit on the head as well as suffering cuts and bruises necessitating hospital treatment. Strangely, when the family reported the attack to the police, they said the American had already told them about it. Although the police took the family’s statements, they did not provide an incident number and Julian believes they are siding with the attacker as they have not investigated his complaint.
Following the shock of the attack, Lydia is adamant she will not live in Spain and the family’s dream of a peaceful expat life is now over. The British embassy and lawyers are now involved, and a complaint has been filed at Estepona’s court.
Before the actual move, the family decided to test the waters with a stay at Lydia’s uncle’s villa in a pleasant part of Estepona. The Forest Hills area seemed safe and all was well until Julian parked his rental car close by the house, which apparently annoyed an American neighbour.
The man left an offensive note telling Julian to ‘remove his s**t car’ on Julian’s windscreen, and the situation became a major nightmare when Julian attempted to remove the note. Without any warning, the neighbour erupted from his house carrying a baseball bat and swung it at Julian and his family, hitting Lydia on her shoulder as she was carrying their one-year old son. screaming racial abuse at her and threatening to murder the entire family.
Julian immediately jumped in to defend his wife and children, and was hit on the head as well as suffering cuts and bruises necessitating hospital treatment. Strangely, when the family reported the attack to the police, they said the American had already told them about it. Although the police took the family’s statements, they did not provide an incident number and Julian believes they are siding with the attacker as they have not investigated his complaint.
Following the shock of the attack, Lydia is adamant she will not live in Spain and the family’s dream of a peaceful expat life is now over. The British embassy and lawyers are now involved, and a complaint has been filed at Estepona’s court.
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