The 49 year old Hungarian man, arrested on Monday evening following the death of his 39 year old partner, Andrea, in Rojales, continues to plead his innocence.

At a court appearance in Torrevieja on Thursday it was said that forensic tests are still to be concluded. Nevertheless he chose not to testify during the sitting and was ordered by the judge to be detained in Alicante’s Fontcalent prison.

Acting on behalf of the accused, lawyer José Antonio Pérez explained that the fact of not giving testimony in court is due to the fact that at the moment there is only “circumstantial evidence” with a number of forensic and biological tests outstanding.

The detainee arrived at court escorted by several Guardia officers. There were a number of cuts, bruises and other injuries visible on his face. A police spokesman said that such wounds could have been caused by the accused as he attempted to defend himself in the course of a dispute which led to his partners death.

In Alicante, Araceli Poblador, a government spokesman, confirmed that there were no previous reports of mistreatment and that the couple, although not registered, had lived in Rojales since last September.

The detainee and the victim occasionally worked in the Budapest Hungarian restaurant on the ground floor of the building where the incident occurred. The man worked in the restaurant as an occasional cook while she was employed as a cleaner.

The Rojales council called for three days of official mourning as a sign of pain “related to yet another case of gender violence.” On Tuesday night there was a rally in front of the Council offices “to express our pain and in rejection of these events.” There were further gatherings across the province.