Swift action by police officers probably saved the life of a woman in Elche who was being attacked by her ex partner.
At around 04:00, a man broke into the house of his former partner in calle Fray Jaime Torres where she was in the company of a female friend. He asked the friend to leave and while he was escorting her out, his former partner alerted the police.
The police arrived on the scene and, forcing entry, surprised the man in the act of stabbing the woman. She had already been stabbed about a dozen times according to the reports.
However, the presence of the police did not deter the man from continuing his attack and one of the police officers had no alternative but to shoot him. Both the man and his former partner were taken to the Hospital General in Elche and both are said to be in a serious condition.
The attacker, a 44 year old Portuguese national, was the subject of a restraining order.