Related news: Mallorca mourns after violet crime in Sa Pobla

Mallorca was in shock today with a minutes’ silence observed across the island, in particular by the government and MPs in Palma and the local authorities in Sa Pobla, as outrage spread across the island over the tragic killing of 28-year-old Moroccan Warda Ouchene and her seven-year-old son in Sa Pobla in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Police sources reported on Monday evening that there were scenes of “extreme violence” where the bodies were found on the ground floor of a house in the village and yesterday it was revealed that the prime suspect, Ali Khouch , the confessed murderer of his pregnant wife and her seven-year-old son, apparently sent a message to his brother-in-law in Valencia by WhatsApp in which he warned: “If you want to see your sister and your nephew they are dead in the house”.

The woman’s body was found covered in blood in the kitchen having suffered a blow to the head, while the boy’s body was found in the dining room.

They has both been apparently strangled to death.

The blood from the mother was caused by her being knocked to the ground.

It was the teachers at the school where the boy was studying who alerted the police after he had failed to turn up for school on two consecutive days for no apparent reason.

Khouch handed himself in to the national Police in Palma on Monday night after catching a taxi to the capital.

He apparently told the cabbie that he needed to get to Palma fast and did not care how much the fare cost.

The Judicial Police believe that Warda Ouchene and her son were attacked in the early hours of Sunday to Monday , around one thirty in the morning, which is when the defendant, said to have been “very upset” and called the taxi.

The deceased and the detainee are cousins and natives of Nador.

They had been living in Sa Pobla for more than ten years and the victim is said to have hardly ever left the house : just to take the child to school or to go shopping.

The suspect had apparently returned to Morocco to live, but returned to Mallorca in January under pressure from his family, who insisted that he should be with his wife and son .

According to sources close to the investigation, Khouch has a drug problem and a violent character.

The stormy relationship was known in the town, especially by the large Moroccan community.

Neighbours said that the last time they saw the alleged murderer was last Friday.

They also stated that the victim had denounced him.

His wife had already reported him for mistreatment in 2014 and a protection order was issued but that had subsequently expired.

The Central Government delegate to the Balearics, Aina Calvo , today denied that there had been failures in the follow-up of the victim after she had reported her husband to the police.

Calvo stressed that “there are no indications ” that there were errors in the system of protecting and monitoring cases of gender-based violence because, with regards to Ouchene, it was the victim herself who left the programme claiming that there was no longer a risk of threats once the couple had resumed contact on the island.

Former boyfriend held for double murder in Sa Pobla

Mother and child found dead in Sa Pobla

Mallorca mourns murder victims

Former boyfriend held for double murder in Sa Pobla

Mother and child found dead in Sa Pobla