Elderly friends John Hester and Richard Smith have been locked out of the house they purchased in Jijona in 2005 by a neighbour who took advantage of their absence and broke into their home and changed all the locks.

Costa Blanca News | Noticia

John and Richard have lived in Spain for over 40 years and currently own a small flat in Campello but due to a debilitating illness suffered by Richard they decided to purchase a small cottage in Jijona to escape the coastal heat during the summer.

Shortly after purchasing the cottage on Jijona's Calle Santa Cruz, the council embarked on a major project to revamp the zone - a project that was beset with problems and ran well over its scheduled termination date.

The result of this was that Richard, who has to travel everywhere with an oxygen bottle, was unable to negotiate the unfinished road works in the area of the castle and for months neither he nor John could access their property.

In May 2008, the person who lives on Calle Santa Cruz number 6, Sr Pedro Martínez, began causing problems for John and Richard.

At that time he told local police that the floor of their cottage number 12, which is separate from number 6 Calle Santa Cruz, was subsiding. Without any warning the property was sealed off by local police.

This angered John and Richard who, after asking for an explanation from the police, removed the barriers that had been set up and continued to live in their property.

Fuente original