Latest Costa murder was made in England

A 40 year-old Irishman was shot dead outside Coco's Bar in Benalmadena on Wednesday and police are seeking fugitive Darren O'Flaherty (pictured) in connection with the murder. If it was this guy then there should be some heads hanging in shame in Britain right now. Specifically I would like to hear from the judge who let him out on bail in 2006, despite the fact that he was facing charges of robbery and kidnap at knifepoint. He subsequently jumped bail and fled to Spain. Heaven only knows what hideous things he's been doing between then and the murder.

Perhaps you think the judge was being reasonable to let O'Flaherty walk free while the knife case was prepared? Innocent until proven guilty and all that. Then gain maybe not when you consider his previous history:

- 1995. Liverpool. Stabbed a man 9 times and given 5 years in prison. Let out early.

- 1999. Inflicted serious head injuries on a police officer and sent to prison again.

- 2006 - held a lorry driver at knifepoint for several hours before robbing and setting fire to the lorry

In amongst all this, also charged with dangerous driving "with intent" (!) and gang membership. Quite clearly someone who was dangerous and had no intention of mending their ways. What does it take for the courts to actually take someone off the streets? Once arrested for the kidnap case that should have been it for this guy - never see the light of day again. I can accept people being given one chance but not a string of them.

It reminds me of the Tony King "Costa Killer" case when a London man was finally arrested for killing two girls. He had a past in England involving 5 serious violent sexual assaults for which he served only half his sentence (5 years) before going onto rob a woman at gunpoint. Naturally he was turned lose again and fled to Spain where he changed his name. Now two young girls are dead because he wasn't stopped.

Almost every time there is a murder or serous assault in the news, a similar story emerges. They have committed a string of offences and either been let out early or on bail thus reinforcing their contempt for the criminal justice system. The guy shot dead on Wednesday would be alive today if some English judge had had the nouse or the guts to recognise this piece of scum for what he was and put public protection as the top priority.

New articles at Advoco: Contracting in Spain Spanish tax forms explained

How old do you have to be to see a doctor in Spain?

That's a trick question of course: you will see a doctor (or a midwife at least) as soon as you are born. The real question is when can a person legally go to the doctor in Spain, on their own without a parent or guardian being present or aware of it?

The answer it seems is 16 although there is a dispensation if the child is suffering or otherwise in need of immediate attention.

It's not just an academic question either. I suppose most parents would like to know everything important that's going on with their kids, even when they are quite big kids who really should be standing on their own two feet. Add to that the fact that teenagers are perhaps more likely than anyone to have sensitive and delicate issues to talk to their GP about and the question of a "parent's right to know" can become controversial.

For example, being a Catholic country, Spain has regular and noisy debates about abortion. It is legal for girls over 18 but currently only with parental consent between 16 and 18. The law is being changed so that 16 and 17 year olds can have abortions without their parents' consent so long as they know about it. A strange compromise that has abortion clinics worried already - for example are they to take a patient's word for it that they have told their parents?

And a lot of sensitive matters are already out of the parents' hands at an age well before 16. For example it is now possible to buy the morning after pill without prescription and at any age which has caused a lot of criticism:

http://noticias.terra.es/2010/espana/0519/actualidad/farmaceuticos-norlevo-niegan-venta-pildora-postcoital-se-haya-disparado-trinidad-jimenez-bibiana-aido-provida-aborto.aspx

If you have a question about age limits in Spain or other legal questions you can go to the Advoco website and send in a free query. click here Spanish law