24-hour criminal defenceEnglish-speaking criminal lawyer in Benidorm

Criminal defence in Benidorm, in English

Benidorm concentrates the two situations that most often bring British and Irish visitors into contact with the Spanish criminal system: nightlife incidents and driving offences. Both are prosecuted as crimes, not as administrative matters, and both move quickly.

Cases arising in Benidorm are dealt with by the courts of the Alicante judicial district, where we are based. That proximity matters: it means being at the police station or before the judge the same day, reading the file in time, and setting the strategy before the investigation hardens in a direction that is difficult to reverse.

What we are usually called about

• Drink driving and refusing the breath test, the single most common charge among foreign residents and visitors. See drink driving.
• Assault after a night out, which escalates faster than people expect. See assault.
• Theft and burglary, both defending and acting for owners of holiday homes.
• Squatters in properties left empty out of season. See squatters.
• Online and bank fraud targeting residents. See cybercrime.
• Drug offences. See drug offences.

If you have been arrested

You have the right to remain silent, to an interpreter, and to choose your own lawyer instead of the duty solicitor. Exercise that last right: the duty lawyer meets your file minutes before your interview.

24-hour emergencies. Call before you make any statement. See also our English-speaking criminal defence hub and our fees.

If you have been arrested: what happens, hour by hour

You can be held for up to 72 hours before being released or brought before a judge. In that time the police will take a statement, and what you say there follows the case to trial.

You have the right to remain silent, the right to a free interpreter, the right to a medical examination, and the right to have the British or Irish consulate informed. And you have the right to choose your own lawyer instead of the duty solicitor. That last right is the one that matters most and the one most people waive without thinking: the duty lawyer meets your file minutes before your interview and has no time to prepare anything.

Before any statement we hold a confidential meeting with you, read the police report, and decide together whether to speak, stay silent, or defer.

After the police station

Minor matters go to a juicio rápido within days, where you will be offered a guilty plea with a reduced sentence. It can be the right decision, but not before checking whether the evidence stands up. Once accepted, it cannot be undone.

More serious matters go to an investigating court, and the prosecution may ask for pre-trial detention. Foreign nationals are almost automatically presented as a flight risk. That argument is beaten with evidence, and it is beaten in the first hearing, not later.

Working with us

We work in English, with fixed fees agreed in writing per stage, and we keep your family informed at home. 24-hour emergencies: call before you make any statement, not after.