Labour MP Simon Danczuk leaves court a free man after no charges were brought following holiday row with estranged wife Karen – who ended up in hospital
Selfie queen Karen was left bloody and bruised after incident while the pair holidayed in Spain
LABOUR MP Simon Danczuk left court a free man today after being arrested for domestic violence over an incident that left his estranged wife needing hospital treatment.
The Rochdale MP was hauled before a court specialising in dealing with crimes of violence against women in the Costa Blanca town of Orihuela.
But no charges were brought and the case shelved after Mr Danczuk and Karen, 33, appeared before a judge in a closed hearing.
It was not immediately clear why the case had been dropped, although it is believed Karen decided not to press charges.
The 33-year-old and Mr Danczuk, currently suspended from the party, were on a summer break with their two sons when they woke up neighbours during a row at the MP’s sunshine home in Algorfa, Spain.
Local police are understood to have arrested him just before 10pm on Sunday and held him in cells overnight before he was rearrested by Civil Guard officers who escorted him to court this morning in Orihuela.
Karen was taken by ambulance to Vega Baja Hospital for a small cut officers said she had sustained in a fall.
Overnight reports said the MP snatched his estranged wife’s phone and threw it in a swimming pool after screaming: “Karen, Karen, I just want to talk to you” as he was taken away.
Onlookers told a newspaper they began arguing after Karen took the call, prompting the 49-year-old politician to accuse her of bedding someone else.
A neighbour said Karen appeared to have a cut to her chest and her estranged husband was led away from his house in handcuffs with no shirt on.
No-one from the local police was available for comment today.
But a spokesman for the Civil Guard, who declined to name the detainee as is normal in Spain, said: “I can confirm we arrested a man on suspicion of domestic violence early yesterday morning in relation to an incident at a house in Algorfa around 9.40pm on Sunday.
“A woman suffered a small cut during the incident and was taken to hospital.
“The man concerned was handed over to court officials this morning.”
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A source close to the case said the offence Danczuk was arrested on was a criminal offence and therefore required the intervention of the Civil Guard who have more powers than local police.
The source said: “Another police force was involved and it’s highly likely Mr Danczuk would have spent two nights in custody, the first in a local police cell in Algorfa and the second in a Civil Guard holding cell.”
Mr Danczuk’s court hearing was held behind-closed-doors and journalists were barred entry.
A court official confirmed the MP had gone to a court in Orihuela specialising in violence against women.
The official said: “The case has been shelved but I cannot say why at this stage.”
The MP was never formally charged with any crime but would probably have been dealt with by way of speedy trial if the judge had decided to press ahead with a prosecution.
His whereabouts - and that of his estranged wife - was unclear this afternoon.
Days earlier, selfie queen Karen had posted happy snaps of her break on Twitter.
Danczuk recently told The Sun he needed therapy for sex addiction after he admitted romping with a woman, 22, on his constituency office desk.
A source close to the case said: “This would normally have been dealt with by way of a speedy trial if the judge felt there was enough evidence to go ahead with a prosecution.
But state prosecutors asked for the case to be shelved after Mrs Danczuk declined to ratify at court what she’d told police.”
His press officer and Karen declined to comment last night.