Man arrested after driving the wrong way on a Spanish motorway with the corpse of his dead boyfriend


Man arrested after driving the wrong way on a Spanish motorway with the corpse of his dead boyfriend, 88, says he was fulfilling his partner’s last wish to go on a European road trip

  • The driver, 66, crashed the couple’s Citroen C-3 after high-speed chase in Spain
  • He had been driving down the wrong side of a motorway near the village of Jafre
  • It was then that Spanish officers found his boyfriend’s decomposing corpse
  • He has since told investigating Spanish police officers he was fulfilling one of the items on the 88-year-old’s bucket list – to go on a road trip around Europe 

A man arrested after driving the wrong way on a Spanish motorway with the corpse of his dead boyfriend has said he was fulfilling an item on his partner’s bucket list.

The Spanish motorist was arrested after he crashed following a 20-mile high-speed chase, and after officers found the body of his 88-year-old boyfriend’s decomposing body under a blanket on the passenger seat.

It has emerged that the 66-year-old driver was fulfilling one of his partner’s last wishes – to go on a European road trip – when their Citroen C-3 crashed near the Catalan village of Jafre.

A motorist arrested by Spanish police after driving with the corpse of his dead boyfriend said he was fulfilling an item on his deceased partner's bucket list. He crashed the couple's Citroen C-3 after speeding down the wrong side of a Spanish motorway leading to a high-speed chase. Pictured: A police road block near the scene of the crash

A motorist arrested by Spanish police after driving with the corpse of his dead boyfriend said he was fulfilling an item on his deceased partner’s bucket list. He crashed the couple’s Citroen C-3 after speeding down the wrong side of a Spanish motorway leading to a high-speed chase. Pictured: A police road block near the scene of the crash

The dead man, a Swiss national named locally as Hans Rols Taubenberger, is thought to have died around three weeks before the shocking discovery.

The unnamed Spaniard reportedly told police his terminally-ill partner died in Switzerland and he was fulfilling his last wish which had been to make a road trip around Europe.

Detectives are now investigating where he used his bank cards to try to build up a full picture of how many borders he crossed during his bizarre trip, thought to have included part of Italy as well as the Madrid area of Spain.

It was not immediately clear whether the dead man had passed away before the start of the journey or during the trip.

Police say there is nothing at this stage pointing to Hans’ death being suspicious, although the results of the post-mortem have not yet been released.

The arrest was made after the Citroen driver, who was born in Galicia, crashed after avoiding a French police border checkpoint by U-turning and driving the wrong way down the AP-7 motorway.

Spanish officers pursued the car for nearly 20 miles in the Alt Emporda region.

Local reports said the driver claimed he had tried to avoid French police at the border checkpoint because he was not carrying proof of a negative coronavirus test before an officer pulled back the blanket to discover the body in the passenger seat.

t has emerged that the 66-year-old driver was fulfilling one of his partner's last wishes - to go on a European road trip - when their Citroen C-3 crashed near the Catalan village of Jafre (pictured) following a high-speed chase

t has emerged that the 66-year-old driver was fulfilling one of his partner’s last wishes – to go on a European road trip – when their Citroen C-3 crashed near the Catalan village of Jafre (pictured) following a high-speed chase

A spokesman for the regional Mossos d’Esquadra police confirmed: ‘A man who drove around 20 miles the wrong way along the AP-7 motorway in Alt Emporda has been arrested.

‘After stopping the vehicle a body was found inside, in the passenger seat next to the driver, which doesn’t appear to present signs of any criminality.

‘An investigation is ongoing.’

A police source added: ‘The passenger appeared to have been dead for several days at least, if not weeks, although the exact date is something the post-mortem will need to determine.

‘The smell coming from the vehicle was an obvious giveaway. It was a miracle no-one was killed when the arrested man drove for so many miles down the AP-7 motorway.

‘It was a very reckless thing to do.’

Pictured: A Citroen C-3 (stock image), the same model that was crashed by the Spanish driver as he was speeding the wrong way down a Spanish motorway with his partner's decomposing corpse in the passenger seat under a blanket

Pictured: A Citroen C-3 (stock image), the same model that was crashed by the Spanish driver as he was speeding the wrong way down a Spanish motorway with his partner’s decomposing corpse in the passenger seat under a blanket

The arrested driver is being held at a police station in La Bisbal d’Emporda ahead of a court appearance in the Catalan town on Saturday. 

A judge is thought to have delayed the behind-closed-doors hearing, originally scheduled for Friday, so psychiatric reports can be prepared.

The suspect is expected to be charged with reckless driving. Although further charges have not been ruled out, travelling with a corpse in a car is not classified as a crime under Spanish law if death is the result of natural causes.

Catalan police are said to have prioritised attempts to discover the route the Italian-plated Citroen took before the bizarre road trip came to an early end ahead of their expected return to Switzerland.

As well as Madrid it is understood to have been sighted in the area of Vilafranca del Penedes which is the epicentre of Cava production.

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