'My dream came true when I retired to Spain but now I am a cleaner'
Alan Brozel, a British expat who dreamt of a leisurely retirement under the Spanish sun, has been dealt a harsh blow, forcing him back into the workforce as a driver and holiday villa cleaner to make ends meet. The former Barnet local had relocated to Gata de Gorgos on the Costa Blanca with his wife Paulene after opting for early retirement at 50.
Their idyllic plans turned bitter when Alan's pension pot vanished into the abyss reportedly swindling him out of more than £150,000.
In a chat with the Daily Mail, Alan shared his harrowing experience: "This was my whole pension, the whole lot, I'd only worked for a couple of companies, and they had invested wisely so the pot was substantial."
He had entrusted the company with his funds, directing them towards low-risk investments, but alleges that "they forged our signatures to invest in high risk".
At first, the company appeared to be fulfilling its promises, doling out dividends as anticipated, but eventually, these payments became sparse and unpredictable. Alan reminisced about his initial hopes: "The idea was we would all give up work and have numerous holidays around the world and the investment money would help cover that," reports the Manchester Evening News.
Now aged 74, Alan is scraping by on a £600 state pension, topped up by various odd jobs. He revealed his current plight: "Now I'm 74, and I'm still working cleaning villas and looking after dogs in our house," he continued, "There is no sign of me stopping. Paulene is still working too."
Alan and Paulene have a slim chance of getting their investment back after Jody Smart, a former director at CWM and ex-model, was found guilty of fraud last month.
Company Secretary Alan Gorringe passed away before the trial could begin, while the whereabouts of another director, Darren Kirby, is currently unknown.
An insider reportedly shared with expat paper Olive Press that Kirby might be hiding out in Britain, revealing: "A judge is dealing with this and it's under legal review. We understand he is currently in England."
Alan didn't mince his words when describing Smart as "an absolute con artist," expressing his regret for losing his life savings to CWM and the additional sting of having recommended the dodgy firm to mates.
Numerous people, mostly British expats, invested with CWM.
One particularly troubled pensioner confided in the Olive Press that he'd lost €210,000 from a total investment of €470,000 in supposedly "low to medium risk" opportunities.
He sadly recounted: "I was asked, 'Can you sign this blank form. We will fill in the details.' I did that trusting they would act in my best interests," and went on to say, "They should have been looking out for me and they were just feathering their own nests. To me they knew what they were doing."
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Sunday World
2 hours ago
- Sunday World
Gunman who shot dead Scot mobsters in Costa del Sol pub was member of rival gang
Police Scotland had insisted days after the May 31 double murder they had no information to suggest the horror crimes were in any way linked to the gang feuding which has been going on there The scene at Monaghan's pub in Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol where Eddie Lyons Jnr and Ross Monaghan were gunned down The gunman who shot dead Scots mobsters Ross Monaghan and Eddie Lyons Jr at a Costa del Sol pub was a member of a rival gang, Spanish police chiefs said last night. Police Scotland had insisted days after the May 31 double murder they had no information to suggest the horror crimes were in any way linked to the gang feuding which has been going on there. But Malaga-based Spanish police chief Pedro Agudo Novo today described the suspected killer arrested in Liverpool last Friday as a member of the Daniels gang which has long been at loggerheads with the Lyons gang the dead men belonged to. The chief superintendent also revealed the dramatic arrest was made as detectives discovered the alleged gunman was about to flee his UK bolthole for a "paradise island tax haven." Speaking at the first press conference Spanish police have held since Monaghan and Lyons Jr were shot dead at Monaghans Irish Bar in Fuengirola after the Champions League final, Mr Agudo Novo who heads up a provincial Judicial Police unit, said: 'The double murder was carried out by a professional killer and member of one of the victims' rival gangs. 'In this case we're not talking about an independent hired killer but an internal member of the rival Daniels gang who ends up assassinating two members of an enemy gang. 'I want to highlight the high level of professionalism of this individual. Not only did he walk up to the table where the victims were sitting and kill the first man before continuing with his mission when his gun jammed. 'It's not normal for a criminal to react the way he did in the face of this unexpected problem and resolve the situation to continue and pursue his second victim inside the bar and kill him. 'His escape was also a very professional one. It was clear he had previously studied all the cameras in the area and undertaken some other investigative procedures I can't go into at this stage. 'He had his escape route perfectly planned out, picking areas where there were a lack of cameras and at one point even entering a train tunnel and crossing the tracks because he knew he couldn't be filmed there.' The police chief said "Absolutely" when asked if he thought the suspect, now facing extradition to Spain and a double murder charge, had travelled from the UK to Spain to carry out his alleged crimes. He added: 'His escape route involved travelling from Spain to Portugal and he then took a plane from Portugal to Leeds. 'Once he got to Leeds, with the support of his gang, he changed addresses three times. 'It took us four days to get an idea of who he was and another three, so seven days in total, to get a name for the man we wanted arrested. The scene at Monaghan's pub in Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol where Eddie Lyons Jnr and Ross Monaghan were gunned down News in 90 Seconds - June 17 'That's when we contacted the British police and asked a court in Fuengirola to issue an international arrest warrant. 'The last address the suspect was tracked down to was in Liverpool. 'We discovered that the day he was arrested he was planning to flee the UK for a paradise island, a tax haven with which there would have been no extradition treaty.' Mr Agudo Novo was asked to name the destination but said he couldn't for 'operational reasons' as the investigation remained open and police were hopeful of making more arrests, although he said he believed the suspected gunman had 'acted alone.' Colleague Juan Antonio Sillero, Chief Inspector of the specialist Udyco Costa del Sol police unit which also led the operation to track down the alleged double killer, said he believed both Monaghan and Lyons Jr were the intended targets and the operation to assassinate them was launched after their rivals received information on where they would be on May 31. He said revenge killings couldn't be ruled out and they were doing 'everything possible' to avoid more bloodshed. In a statement issued after this morning's press conference at the Spanish National Police HQ in Malaga, the force said: 'The investigation began when just before midnight on May 31 a man who was hiding his face behind a cap and a scarf round his neck opened fire against two people who had been sitting on the terrace of a pub in Fuengirola. 'The first shots fired killed one victim instantly. The second victim managed to escape after taking advantage of the moment the killer's gun jammed and took refuge inside the premises until he was hit again receiving two shots which ended his life. 'Afterwards the suspect fled the scene and crossed three borders in less than 15 hours. 'After leaving Spain he reached Portugal by land and from there took a flight to the UK. 'During his journey he changed his physical appearance, and even shaved his face completely, to avoid being recognised. 'Once he was in the UK, he hid in different residential dwellings to hamper the investigation and his subsequent investigation.' The suspect, who has been named in the UK as 44-year-old Michael Riley from Merseyside but has not been formally named by Spanish police although they confirmed today he is "English and not Scottish", has been remanded in custody after a first court appearance as Spain continues to try to get him extradited. Career criminal Monaghan, who fled Scotland for Spain after a failed attempt on his life outside a Glasgow primary school in 2017, was tried but acquitted over the murder of notorious Glasgow hood Kevin 'Gerbil' Carroll at an Asda car park in 2010. In August 2017 he and Eddie Lyons Jr, both members of the Lyons Glasgow crime family, were cleared of being involved in a brutal street attack on three men outside the Campsie bar in Bishopbriggs, East Dunbartonshire. The Fuengirola pub murders followed the fatal shooting nearly seven weeks ago of a 32-year-old British man in nearby Calahonda a 15-minute drive from the Irish bar towards Marbella. He was shot dead around 8pm on April 21 in a professional hit as he headed back to his car after finishing a football match with friends. The killers fled in a getaway car that was later torched. Police are investigating the brutal assassination as a drug-related gang shooting but have yet to make any arrests. The victim has not been named but was known to come from Liverpool. Reports at the time described the incident as the fourth shooting so far that month on the Costa del Sol, where rival gangs have increasingly used extreme violence to settle scores and a number of international mafias are known to have a base. Four days before the Calahonda shooting a 34-year-old man was rushed to the Costa del Sol Hospital in Marbella after being shot outside a nightclub in the famous Costa del Sol resort. The May 31 shootings of Monaghan, 46, and Lyons Jr, 43, had been linked to the long-running feud between their gang and the Glasgow-based Lyons Crime Family. In a statement released on June 3, Police Scotland made it clear it was not directly investigating the murders. "The investigation into the fatal shootings in Fuengirola is being carried out by Spanish police," it said. "Police Scotland is supporting Spanish police where requested, however at this time we have no officers deployed within Spain. "There is currently no intelligence to suggest the deaths of these two men in Spain are linked to the recent criminal attacks in Scotland being investigated as part of Operation Portaledge. "Any misinformation or speculation linking the events in Spain are not helpful to the ongoing investigations in either country. "There is also nothing to suggest that the shooting in Fuengirola was planned from within Scotland." Mr Agudo Novo added during a question and answer session after talking about the alleged killer's escape to the UK and arrest: 'From the start we were in contact with the British police and as you know we have a British police liaison officer permanently in this area.' Asked if his information was that the gunman belonged to the Daniels Crime Family and the victims were both members of the rival Lyons gang, he replied: 'Yes, absolutely.' Juan Antonio Sillero, head of the Udyco Costa del Sol crime-fighting unit, replied when asked whether he feared revenge attacks in the area: 'It's a possibility and we're working on making sure it doesn't happen. 'But yes, it's something we're aware could occur and we're putting all our efforts into avoiding it with the co-operation of British police.' He confirmed he believed both Eddie Lyons Jnr and Ross Monaghan were the intended targets, saying: 'Their rivals had information they were going to be together and took the opportunity to carry out the crime here and dispose of both men at the same time.' Mr Agudo Novo added: 'We're being very vigilant for possible revenge attacks.' Responding to questions about the dangers posed by criminal gangs operating out of the Costa del Sol, he said: 'Bad people as well like to come to the best parts of Spain and this is one of the best without doubt and precisely because of that we cannot neglect security. 'I think the Costa del Sol is a safe place and we're working constantly to make sure it's even safer.' Francisco Javier Salas Ruiz, a central government representative for the area, insisted police were 'very well prepared and highly effective" following locally-vented criticism about the authorities' capabilities when it came to dealing with the violent criminal gangs behind regular Costa del Sol gun attacks. He said: 'Figures show this is one of the safest places in Europe. Incidents like the one in Fuengirola the other day cause a lot of social alarm but they are very few and far between.'
Dublin Live
3 hours ago
- Dublin Live
List of Irish EuroMillions jackpot winners to date as punter wins mind-blowing €250m
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Get the latest Dublin Live breaking news on WhatsApp A lucky punter has made history last night after they won a record-breaking €250million jackpot in tonight's EuroMillions draw. The record-breaking win eclipses the €175million record for the largest cheque presented in the famous Winners' Room, when Reilly's Daybreak on Main Street, The Naul, Co Dublin. The winning numbers for tonight's EuroMillions draw were: 13, 22, 23, 44, 49, and the two Lucky Stars were 3 and 5. National Lottery CEO Cian Murphy said: "We are absolutely thrilled to see this incredible and record win for an Irish EuroMillions player! We are advising our players to check their tickets and if they are the winner, sign the back of the ticket, keep it safe, and contact National Lottery HQ and we will guide you through the claims process." Here is the roll call of the Irish EuroMillions jackpot winners to date: 1. July 2005: Dolores McNamara from Limerick, was Ireland's first and biggest EuroMillions winner scooping over €115 million. 2. July 2008: A lucky player from Co. Tipperary won a €15 million jackpot with a ticket bought in Carrick-on-Suir in Co. Tipperary. 3. June 2009: A family syndicate shared the jackpot with a British winner, taking homeover €29.4 million with a ticket they purchased in Dublin. 4. June 2013: A winning ticket sold in Beaumount, Dublin, shared a EuroMillions jackpot worth over €187 million. A Dublin player earned half of the jackpot and picked up over €93 million. 5. September 2013: A young man from the South East shared a jackpot of over €25 million with a player in Spain, taking home over €12.8 million. 6. April 2014: A jackpot prize worth €15 million was claimed on a ticket sold in Castlebar, Co. Mayo. 7. September 2014: An €86.7 million jackpot was won by a syndicate from Dublin. The ticket was sold in Centra, Ballybrack, Co. Dublin. 8. January 2016: A syndicate of friends won over €66 million, splitting the jackpot of €132,376,632. The ticket was sold in Eason's store, Fairgreen Shopping Centre, Carlow. 9. July 2016: 22 colleagues from Dublin Bus won the €23.8 million. The ticket was sold in O'Hanlon's Portarlington. 10. January 2017: A Dublin work syndicate claimed the €88.5 million EuroMillions jackpot. The winning ticket was sold at the Applegreen Service Station on the M1 Northbound in Lusk, Co. Dublin. 11. July 2017: A syndicate from the West of Ireland won a €29 million EuroMillions jackpot. The ticket was sold in Garryduff XL Store on Pound Road, Castlebar in Co. Mayo. 12. December 2017: A small family syndicate from Dublin won €38.9 million on a ticket purchased in The Village Shop in Malahide Shopping Centre 13. June 2018: 32 colleagues from Stakelums Hardware store in Thurles Co. Tipperary share a €17 million EuroMillions jackpot with a ticket they purchased at Eason's Store in Thurles Shopping Centre in Co. Tipperary. 14. February 2019: The Naul Family Syndicate won €175.4 million on a ticket sold in Reilly's Daybreak in Naul, Co. Dublin. 15. February 2020: A Co. Mayo family shared the €17 million jackpot with a ticket they purchased at Mulroy's Londis Store in Castlebar. 16. July 2020: An online player in Dublin won a €49.5 million jackpot which they won with a €2.50 normal play ticket. 17. February 2022: Mid-West ticket holder scoops €30.9 million jackpot with Quick Pick ticket they purchased at Larkin's Gala Service Station in Ballina, Co Tipperary. Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage.
Irish Daily Mirror
7 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Emma Raducanu stalker tries to obtain Wimbledon tickets
The man given a restraining order for stalking British number one Emma Raducanu has been caught trying to obtain tickets for this summer's Wimbledon. The PA news agency understands an application from the individual was discovered in the public ballot before being removed by tournament organisers. His name had been red-flagged and was highlighted by the All England Club's security system. Raducanu hid behind the umpire's chair after receiving repeated unwanted attention from a 'fixated' man at the Dubai Championships in February. At the time, the 22-year-old said she 'couldn't see the ball through tears' and could 'barely breathe', while she revealed the situation was exacerbated by her being unsettled without a full-time coach. She had been aware of the man's presence at previous tournaments in Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Doha before spotting him in the stands during her second-round match against Karolina Muchova. A day earlier, the man, who was removed from the court, handed 2021 US Open champion Raducanu a letter and asked for a photo in a coffee shop. He was given a restraining order by Dubai police and his name was circulated around tennis authorities. Raducanu revealed earlier this month the ordeal had made her 'wary' when going out. She told BBC Sport: 'I'm obviously wary when I go out. I try not to be careless about it because you only realise how much of a problem it is when you're in that situation and I don't necessarily want to be in that situation again.' Raducanu had been previously targeted by a stalker, with an obsessive fan given a restraining order in 2022 after coming to her house three times. This year's Wimbledon Championships are due to get under way on Monday, June 30 and will run until Sunday, July 13.
