By Linda Hall • 31 May 2019 • 19:30
Attempt to buy off rape victim in Calpe Credit - Wikipedia
LEONARDUS LEI BEAUMONT, wanted in Belgium for his former wife’s murder, has been arrested in Calpe.
Beaumont, aged 71 and of Danish nationality, was tried in his absence and received 20-year sentence for killing Josee Widdershoven in Maasmechelen (Belgium) in 2009.
Beaumont was found guilty of shooting his ex-wife at close range with a 22.bore shotgun following ongoing conflict over money,
“A crime like that is closer to an execution,” police said at the time.
During the investigation, the couple’s two daughters told police that only their father could have killed their mother. “She led a very quiet life and had no enemies,” they said.
Beaumont was due to stand trial in Limburg on May 6 but when he failed to appear, the Belgian authorities suspected that he was hiding in Spain and contacted their Spanish counterparts who traced him to Calpe.
He has now been transferred to Madid where the National High Court is processing his extradition to Belgium.
On his return, he is likely to appeal against the sentence in a bid to obtain a retrial, sources close to the investigation revealed.
Share this story
Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox!
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don’t already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Originally from the UK, Linda is based in Valenca and is a reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering local news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at [email protected]
Download our media pack in either English or Spanish.