Spain: SOS note hidden in son's homework saves woman from abusive husband

A woman in Spain who was allegedly constantly abused by her husband, but was unable to reach out to anyone, eventually sought help via an SOS note hidden in her son's homework. Police in the Costa del Sol town of Benalmádena subsequently arrested the accused husband with the help of school authorities.

A government spokeswoman in Málaga told The Local that the woman was supposedly kept under constant surveillance by her "abusive husband". She apparently had no access to telephone or internet, nor was she allowed to go out of the house, which compelled her to seek help from her son's school, the spokeswoman added. The school teacher who discovered the note in the child's notebook alerted the police, who devised a plan to arrest the man.

School authorities invited the mother to the school on the pretext of discussing her son's academics with the teachers. The husband accompanied the woman to school, but was made to wait outside while his wife talked to the teachers. The woman then narrated her ordeal, following which police took the man in custody on charges of domestic violence.

The 52-year-old woman alleged that her husband "tried to strangulate her and had also set fire to their bed in an attempt to kill her", The Times reported. In the note, the woman had written that she was being held as a prisoner by her husband. She also wrote her national identity card number in the note.

The couple hold dual UK and Uruguay citizenship, the spokeswoman told the paper, but could not comment on the citizenship of the couple's two sons. She added that the couple had lived in the UK before moving to Spain.

The man, reportedly identified only as JCT, was released from police custody, but is under electronic monitoring. A police protective order has been issued for the woman.