Twisted ex-soldier, 34, strangled girlfriend to death in Spanish hotel on what family said was ‘make or break' hols
HOLIDAY MURDER Twisted ex-soldier, 34, strangled girlfriend to death in Spanish hotel on what family said was 'make or break' hols
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
AN EX-SOLDIER faces up to three decades behind bars after being convicted of murdering his Irish girlfriend at a Spanish hotel.
Keith Byrne, 34, was found guilty of the shocking 2023 murder after three days of jury deliberations.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
3
Forensic evidence pointed to Kirsty being strangled from behind
Credit: Gerard Couzens
3
Byrne was found to have strangled Kirsty Ward to death with a hair straightener power cord
Credit: Screen grabs from video footage
3
The trial judge will now consider his sentence after the jury's decision late last night
Credit: Gerard Couzens
He was found to have strangled Kirsty Ward to death with a hair straightener power cord after she said she was leaving him.
The ex-Irish Guards and Parachute Regiment soldier claimed during his trial in Tarragona that the 36-year-old mum-of-one had died by suicide in their hotel.
But he described himself as a "respectful and intelligent" father who would never commit an act of domestic violence.
He also demonised Kirsty, claiming she could be 'four people in one day' - especially after binging on alcohol and cocaine.
read more in world news
POWER SURGE Spain hit by ANOTHER major blackout in hols hotspot
The trial judge announced he was retiring to consider his sentence after the jury's decision late last night.
Jurors had begun their deliberations on Monday following the May 1 Bank Holiday.
However, Byrne is not expected to find out for nearly a month how much jail time he will be handed.
A private prosecutor for acting for Kirsty's family is pushing for a 30 year sentence, while public prosecutor Javier Goimil urged the judge to jail him for 20 years.
Goimil's pre-trial demand was lowered by a year as he accepted Byrne's prior use of drink and drugs as a mitigating circumstance after jurors ruled he had 'diminished cognitive and volitional faculties" when he killed Kirsty.
The prosecutor, a domestic violence specialist, rubbished Byrne's court claim that Kirsty died by suicide during his closing speech.
He claimed the ex-soldier had decided "You're mine or you're nobody's" and strangled his girlfriend to death when she said she wanted out of the relationship.
Forensic evidence pointed to Kirsty being strangled from behind after 'incapacitating herself' with alcohol and cocaine, he said.
He told the court: "Byrne has adapted his version of events of what happened in that timeframe nearly two years on in accordance with the evidence he's learnt there is against him.
"He's saying Kirsty tied a cable round her neck and attached it to the door knob but in the state she was in it would have been impossible for her to do that and there's nothing showing there was a knot in the cable.
"What's occurred here is a violent and painful death, a strangulation from behind where someone is pulling from the front to the back. This was not a suicide."
He added that she had not left a note for her relatives and had bought a plane ticket back to her hometown Dublin for July 4.
"Kirsty's relationship with Byrne was very toxic, very intense and very emotional," he said.
"She decided to end it during the week they stayed at the hotel in Salou and her partner couldn't accept that decision."
He further said that the volume of alcohol Kirsty had drunk ahead of her death would have impacted significantly on her ability to defend herself.
Following his arrest in Spain it emerged that Byrne was was wanted in England by Royal Military Police for going absent without leave after he left for Ireland in 2017.
Byrne's defence lawyer Jordi Cabre had been seeking acquittal for his client before the jury verdict - and asked the judge afterwards to hand down the "minimum sentence".
Kirsty's mum Jackie Ward called Byrne someone she 'didn't like' and 'didn't trust' on the first day of the trial.
She was asked when giving evidence if she thought her daughter could have died by suicide.
But she said: "She did everything for her son. She would never ever leave him. She would never do that to him."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
7 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Woman who torched neighbour's Land Rover because she thought his rescue badgers killed local cat is spared jail
She set a container ablaze and slid it under the motor MEOW DONE IT Woman who torched neighbour's Land Rover because she thought his rescue badgers killed local cat is spared jail Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A WOMAN who torched a neighbour's Land Rover because she thought his badgers killed a local cat has been spared jail. Graham Lee, 56, saw his Freelander destroyed as his furious neighbour attempted to kill the badgers living on his driveway. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 Susan Lupton set her neighbour's Land Rover ablaze Credit: Solent 5 She had mistakenly believed that the animals Graham Lee cared for had killed a local cat Credit: Solent 5 Lupton avoided prison after admitting two counts of arson Credit: Solent Susan Lupton, 63, dubbed her neighbour the "evil badger man" as she believed the animals he cared for had killed another neighbour's pet cat. The arson took place at the coastal village of Freshwater Bay on the Isle of Wight, causing £18,500 worth of damages with Lee's Freelander destroyed. Another property was also damaged as the blaze spread to a neighbouring house. Police arrived to Lupton, who has bipolar disorder, having a manic episode, telling officers: "I did it, I'm responsible". She has avoided prison after admitting two counts of arson but has been banned from the area. Isle of Wight Court heard how Lupton set fire to Lee's Land Rover on June 20, 2024. She had set fire to a plastic container filled with white spirit before sliding it under the Freelander, according to prosecutor Joanna Staples. The vehicle was completely gutted and a window, guttering, cooker extractor and a tree were all damaged beyond repair on a neighbouring property. Lee, a wildlife volunteer, would leave food out for the badgers on his driveway, tried to put out the blaze himself before firefighters arrived. The badgers haven't returned to the property since the fire, he said. Lupton, who moved to the UK from South Africa in 1980, told police she had started the fire in an attempt to kill the badgers he was looking after. She believed they had killed a cat owned by another neighbour. Lupton also claimed she had learnt how to start the fire from a firefighter friend. The court heard how she had shared posts on her Facebook page claiming Lee was an "evil badger man". Moment dad calmly stretches as he's snared for shaking baby daughter to death In a victim impact statement, Lee said that Lupton was "sick, twisted and a manipulative individual". He added how she had left him constantly checking his security cameras out of fear she may appear on his driveway with some matches. Lee went on to add that his Land Rover was his "pride and joy" and said Lupton's actions had ruined his life. He told the court that Lupton has posted videos online of her throwing bricks at badgers and lacing bowls of food with glass. Neighbour Kavita Hayton, whose home was damaged by the incident, said the attack had left her "genuinely frightened" and in "a state of fear for many months". Lupton's barrister Jonathan Underhill told the court that Lupton had a single conviction for criminal damage on her record and that she had bipolar disorder. He asked the judge to give Lupton a suspended sentence to help with her rehabilitation. Judge James Newton-Price said the victims had suffered a "terrifying experience" and Lupton had developed a "fixation" and had become "irrationally obsessed". The judge added during sentencing: "You say you are horrified for what you've done. "I believe you have a realistic prospect of rehabilitation, and that imprisonment would reverse your progress." Lupton was ordered to pay costs of £1,000 and compensation of £7,835. She was handed two years' imprisonment, suspended for two years and was given a restraining order to stay away from Lee. In addition, Lupton has been banned from the village of Freshwater indefinitely. 5 Lee, a wildlife volunteer, said the badgers hadn't returned since the attack Credit: Solent
The Sun
7 hours ago
- The Sun
Hopes for Madeleine McCann breakthrough as Brueckner could be kept in prison LONGER – giving cops vital time to nail him
MADELEINE McCann suspect Christian Brueckner could face three extra months behind bars after the woman who paid his fine asked for her money back. The mystery donor - an ex-cop who investigated the suspect - settled a £1,300 outstanding court fine allowing Brueckner, 48, to walk free in September. 6 6 But the former German FBI agent has now emailed prosecutors pleading she has made a 'mistake' - and begged for the funds to be returned to her. Officials are taking the request seriously and were last night looking at how the funds could be sent back. If they succeed it would secure crucial extra time for McCann investigators before their prime suspect walks free. Reports in Germany said: 'In an email to the Braunschweig Public Prosecutor's Office, the former BKA employee is now demanding repayment of the money. 'She stated that she was unaware that Christian B. had been convicted in previous cases, including forgery.' The ex-cop is said to have told officials: "I therefore wish to contest my declaration of intent to repay the payment and invalidate the legal transaction accordingly." The payment cleared a 2016 Helmstedt District Court fine for drunkenness in traffic and forgery of documents and a 2017 Braunschweig court levy for assault. Before the ex-cop paid the fine, convicted paedophile Breuckner had only been able to pay £210 of the total and faced being kept behind bars until late January. The fine-payer insists she had "never had personal contact with Christian B." Mystery female donor who paid £1,300 fine to free Madeleine McCann suspect Brueckner is former COP who investigated him Maddie prosecutors said it was investigating "the extent to which the payment received in the criminal case against Christian B. can actually be credited toward the fine imposed there." It stated that it had found evidence "that the payment was made by mistake." Brueckner will now walk free when his sentence for raping an American woman, 72, in Praia da Luz, in 2005, ends. He has been named publicly as the prime suspect over the May 3 2007 disappearance of Maddie, of Rothley, Leics., since 2020 but never been charged. He has used letters to deny the claims but has refused to answer police questions or provide an alibi. His phone was in Praia da Luz on the night Madeleine vanished and made a 30-minute call from the area. His Jaguar was re-registered into a name the day after the disappearance. A Sun investigation this year revealed bombshell new evidence - including Brueckner's obsession with snatching and abusing small, young, blonde girls. 6 6 6 We also placed him at key police locations of interest, including a lake where cops dug for evidence. And we showed evidence he was at the scene of an al-but-confession when he allegedly said Maddie 'did not scream,' in 2008. Our probe - aired on Channel 4 - revealed the existence of a hard-drive and laptop containing crucial picture evidence on the case. Police maintain they have physical evidence Maddie is dead - but no forensic links. German police have recently stressed the value UK authorities could provide by getting involved in the case again before Brueckner's release. He has refused to rule out leaving Germany and insisted he will go to ground on his release. If he travelled to a non-extradition country all hopes for McCann justice could disappear with him. Timeline of Maddie's disappearance May 3, 2007 Madeleine McCann disappears from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, sparking a massive police search and becoming one of the most famous missing persons cases in history. January 15, 2016 Neighbour reports a possible 'grave' at Brueckner's abandoned factory in East Germany. Cops find disturbing images on USB sticks and launch a full-scale search. February 16, 2016 Christian Brueckner is convicted for abusing a girl of five in a park after images found on his laptop. He was sentenced to 15-months behind bars but was already on the run by then. May 3, 2017 Around this time, Helge B calls an information hotline after watching a ten-year anniversary special on the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. He reports an alleged confession by Christian Brueckner. September 27, 2018 On-the-run Christian Brueckner is arrested over outstanding drugs claims in Italy. He is extradited to Germany the following year. December 16, 2019 Christian Brueckner was convicted, in Germany, for the 2005 rape of an American woman in Praia da Luz, Portugal, after his DNA was matched to a hair found on her bed. He was sentenced to seven years behind bars. June 4, 2020 German prosecutors reveal to the world they have a suspect in custody under investigation for the abduction of Madeleine McCann. For the first time they claim Madeleine is dead. German media later name him as Christian B (Christian Brueckner). June 23, 2023 In his first interview, witness Helge B alleges to German newspaper Bild that Christian Brueckner all-but-confessed the Madeleine abduction to him, by allegedly saying 'she didn't scream' as they talked about the case, at a music festival, in Spain. February 16, 2024 Brueckner goes on trial accused of none-McCann allegations of rape and sex assault, in Braunschweig, Germany. Prosecutors hope for a conviction to keep him behind bars permanently and lead to McCann charges. October 8, 2024 Brueckner was acquitted of all claims. Prosecutors launch an appeal, however. Decision pending. September 17, 2025 Date on which Christian Brueckner will be released from custody without action being taken. Prosecutors require an arrest warrant for a retrial over claims from last year - or over the McCann case. June 1, 2025 Police order a renewed search for clues in Praia Da Luz on the Algarve in Portugal. It lasts for just three days.
Daily Record
8 hours ago
- Daily Record
easyJet flight met by police after 'abusive' passenger urinates in aisle
Police officers stormed the plane on arrival in Tenerife on Wednesday morning. A disruptive passenger on board an easyJet flight is said to have urinated in the aisle, forcing staff to call ahead for police to meet the plane on arrival as a rowdy group caused trouble. The scenes played out on board the service from Birmingham to Tenerife South on Wednesday, July 2, with air traffic controllers giving it priority landing on the Spanish island, where it arrived just before 3.30am. Local newspaper Canarian Weekly reported the cabin crew had requested "urgent assistance" after the incident, with "significant disturbance" caused. The airline confirmed the group of passengers had become "abusive and threatening" during the flight. Police boarded the plane on arrival in Tenerife, the Mirror reports. However, it is not known whether any arrests were made. A spokesperson for easyJet said: "We can confirm that flight EZY6607 from Birmingham to Tenerife on 2 July was met by police on arrival due to a group of passengers behaving disruptively onboard. "easyJet's crew are trained to assess and evaluate all situations. They acted quickly and appropriately to ensure that the safety of the flight and other passengers was not compromised at any time. The safety and well-being of our passengers and crew is always easyJet's priority, and we do not tolerate abusive or threatening behaviour onboard." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. It comes just weeks after police were called to an easyJet flight bound for Marrakech in May, which had descended into chaos by rowdy British passengers on a stag party. Two men reportedly vaped on board, drank heavily and subjected the crew to abuse. Despite six warnings from staff, they continued to act in a rowdy manner, and the pilot was forced to divert to Faro, Portugal, leaving fellow passengers fuming. A witness claimed: "The men were vaping in their seats and toilet, drinking heavily and to my opinion already drunk or close to when boarding. They were being abusive towards staff on the flight and I think they had an undertone of homophobia toward the head steward." An easyJet spokesperson said the flight, from London Gatwick to Marrakech on May 19, "diverted to Faro and was met by police upon arrival due to a group of passengers behaving disruptively onboard". Once the passengers had left the aircraft, the flight then continued to Marrakech. "Our cabin crew are trained to assess and evaluate all situations and acted quickly and appropriately to ensure that the safety of the flight and other passengers was not compromised at any time. The safety and wellbeing of our passengers and crew is always easyJet's priority and we do not tolerate abusive or threatening behaviour onboard."
