Father arrested in Spain after fatal stabbing of toddler’s speech therapist

Crime

The self-confessed killer claimed he was protecting his son, allegedly cutting the therapist's throat in a Valencia clinic after a row over CCTV cameras

Natalia Penza

Police have arrested a father who allegedly cut the throat of his toddler’s speech therapist after discovering the youngster “semi-naked” during an appointment.

The 24-year-old suspect was formally detained with blood still on his hands after handing himself in to cops following the fatal stabbing.

He reportedly told detectives he had attacked the 32-year-old health professional after leaving his two-year-old son briefly to smoke a cigarette in the street and returning to find him with his trousers down and no nappy on.

The self-confessed killer, named locally only by his first name and the initials of his two surnames as David G.S, is said to have started beating the speech therapist after he refused his demand to show him cameras in his clinic before fatally wounding him with a knife he was carrying.

The victim is understood to have died at the centre in the east coast Spanish city of Valencia yesterday afternoon after having his throat slit.

Witnesses who overheard the row that preceded the stabbing have told investigators the knifeman yelled at the health professional: “Either you show me the cameras or I’ll kill you.”

The murder suspect drove back to his home on the outskirts of Valencia before heading to a police station and confessing his horror crime, saying he had killed his little boy’s “abuser.”

Officers found the stab victim lying in a pool of blood at his clinic after hearing the admission.

The area was later taped off by police as forensic experts carried out an inspection.

A post-mortem is due to take place later today. It is expected to show the university-educated speech therapist died from a slash wound to his neck which caused him to go into hypovolemic shock and lose more than 20 per cent of his body’s blood.

It is not yet clear whether the suspect will appear before an investigating judge today, or tomorrow after a second night in police custody.

He will almost certainly be remanded to a local prison following his court appearance which will take place behind closed doors as is normal in Spain where only trials take place in public.

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