Spanish tourist appeals 2013 murder conviction

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Spanish tourist appeals 2013 murder conviction

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A Spanish tourist appealed yesterday in the Supreme Court against his conviction for murdering his British friend, whose decomposed body was found wrapped in plastic in a rented room.

John Peter Connell, 41, also a tourist, was found dead at Blun Del Perez Ricardo’s room in the Daun Penh district of Phnom Penh in July 2013.

Mr. Ricardo was convicted in Phnom Penh Municipal Court later that year and sentenced to 10 years in prison. The Appeal Court upheld the conviction.

At yesterday’s hearing, Mr. Ricardo said he did not kill Mr. Connell.
He said Mr. Connell died from a combination of disease and over-use of medication or wine.

However, Mr. Ricardo agreed that he had seen Mr. Connell dead on a chair in his room. He wrapped him in plastic and hid his body in the room before leaving.He was arrested when he returned more than two weeks later to collect his things.

I thought that if I reported it to police I would also be arrested because I had been staying illegally in Cambodia and I did not have a passport and visa,” he said. “I was very afraid and confused when I saw the victim dead in my room because this had never happened to me,” he added.

“I am innocent. I would like to ask the court to drop my charges and release me,” he said.

Second Lieutenant Loeuk Um, a forensic examination officer with Phnom Penh municipal police, said an examination of Mr. Connell’s body showed he was not murdered but died from overuse of medications and alcohol.

http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/37044/ ... onviction/
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Re: Spanish tourist appeals 2013 murder conviction

Post by kiwiincambodia »

WOW, I was actually thinking about Ricky the other day and wondering what happened to his case.

I have to say, prison has served him well, he looks so much healthier in that picture. He was a walking skeleton when he got arrested.
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Re: Spanish tourist appeals 2013 murder conviction

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kiwiincambodia wrote: WOW, I was actually thinking about Ricky the other day and wondering what happened to his case.

I have to say, prison has served him well, he looks so much healthier in that picture. He was a walking skeleton when he got arrested.
Ricky will remain in his 'health farm'. The judge has dismissed Ricardo' s appeal, despite the fact that the police have declared the British man's cause of death as an overdose of medication and alcohol. Obviously the convicted man doesn't have any money, so he will remain in prison.
The nearest Spanish Embassy is in Bangkok; it is not known if they have offered any sort of assistance, but they are probably the only ones in a position to negotiate an eventual release. Ricardo Blundel Perez was sentenced to 10 years prison in 2013, so without intervention he will be due for release in 2023.

Spaniard’s murder sentence confirmed
6 April 2017
The Supreme Court yesterday upheld the murder conviction of a Spanish tourist who wrapped the body of a friend in plastic and kept it in his rented room.
Ricardo Blundel Perez, 43, admitted that British tourist John Peter Connell, 41, died in his room, but blamed misuse of medication for illnesses or over-consumption of alcohol.

The Briton died in Mr. Ricardo’s room in the Daun Penh district of Phnom Penh in July 2013.

Mr. Ricardo said he fled, fearing arrest over the killing or over his lack of a valid visa.
Mr. Connell’s body lay decomposing for 25 days before it was found. Mr. Ricardo was arrested when he returned to pick up his belongings.

A police report said Mr. Connell did die from the over-use of medication and alcohol.
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/37284/ ... confirmed/
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Re: Spanish tourist appeals 2013 murder conviction

Post by Bitte_Kein_Lexus »

Such a weird case. He should have obviously just come forward front the beginning, now he's paying a steep price if what he says is true.

I'm not sure what's weirder:
1-Prosecuting someone for the murder of another when police say an overdose was the cause of death.
2-Finding your dead friend and deciding to wrap his body up in plastic and then pull a runner instead of alerting the authorities.
3-Coming back 25+ days later to pick up belongings. Wtf?
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Re: Spanish tourist appeals 2013 murder conviction

Post by kiwiincambodia »

Bitte_Kein_Lexus wrote: Thu Apr 06, 2017 9:39 am Such a weird case. He should have obviously just come forward front the beginning, now he's paying a steep price if what he says is true.

I'm not sure what's weirder:
1-Prosecuting someone for the murder of another when police say an overdose was the cause of death.
2-Finding your dead friend and deciding to wrap his body up in plastic and then pull a runner instead of alerting the authorities.
3-Coming back 25+ days later to pick up belongings. Wtf?
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Re: Spanish tourist appeals 2013 murder conviction

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CEOCambodiaNews wrote: Thu Apr 06, 2017 8:29 am

Ricky will remain in his 'health farm'. The judge has dismissed Ricardo' s appeal, despite the fact that the police have declared the British man's cause of death as an overdose of medication and alcohol. Obviously the convicted man doesn't have any money, so he will remain in prison.
The nearest Spanish Embassy is in Bangkok; it is not known if they have offered any sort of assistance, but they are probably the only ones in a position to negotiate an eventual release. Ricardo Blundel Perez was sentenced to 10 years prison in 2013, so without intervention he will be due for release in 2023.

I was told that he is a dual Spanish and British citizen. I imagine he has consular support.

I also heard his family had money; could well be that this knocked back appeal is all part of the process of liquidating as much of that cash as the courts can before he is released.
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Re: Spanish tourist appeals 2013 murder conviction

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High Court Upholds Spaniard’s Prison Term
April 6, 2017
With his legal appeals exhausted, a Spanish national convicted of murder protested his innocence on Wednesday after the Supreme Court upheld his 10-year sentence.

“If I killed him, show me the evidence,” Ricardo Perez Blundell told a reporter after the hearing. “They don’t even know the cause of death.”

Presiding Judge Soeng Panhavuth sided with prior decisions from the Phnom Penh Municipal Court and Court of Appeal, and ruled that the 43-year-old Blundell was guilty of murdering his roommate, a U.K. national, in Phnom Penh in 2013.
“The Supreme Court decided to uphold the verdict from the Appeal Court,” the judge said.

As Mr. Blundell was escorted out of the courtroom after the decision, he continued to protest his innocence.
“There is no justice,” Mr. Blundell said. “If I murdered him, tell me how I murdered him?”...

https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/high ... rm-127608/
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Re: Spanish tourist appeals 2013 murder conviction

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An inquest into John Connell's death was held in the UK one year ago.
This article from the UK identifies Ricardo Blundell as a Spanish national and there is no mention of double nationality :
His roommate Ricardo Perez Blundell was jailed for 10 years for his murder in December 2014, according to Cambodian press, which reported the 40-year-old Spanish national slept alongside Mr Connell’s body for two weeks before checking out of the guest house.
Article on the inquest from the local paper 10/03/2016:

Mystery surrounds death of Sutton dad found wrapped in tarpaulin in Cambodia
ImageJohn Connell, 43, of Brunswick Road in Sutton,UK.
Giving evidence to Westminster Coroner’s Court this morning, a witnesses said [Ricardo Perez] Blundell told him “something had happened to John”.
He said Blundell dismissed the idea of reporting Mr Connell’s death to the police because he feared he would be bribed by corrupt Cambodian officers.

Aaron Reed, a friend of Blundell, said: “Rick was in distress and talking in short sentences. He said something had happened to John. “He had heard the Cambodian police force demand bribes to remove a body, and he didn’t have a passport.
“The option of alerting the police was dismissed. What we should have done was inform the British Embassy.”

Mr Connell had a long history of alcohol and drug abuse and photos provided the court by the Cambodian police showed his arm was strapped with a tourniquet when his body was discovered.

The electrician, whose two children live in Surrey with their mother, was seen drinking heavily on the morning of his death by Mr Reed...
http://www.croydonguardian.co.uk/news/1 ... _Cambodia/
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