A remarkable re-encounter

Carjacked couple spot criminals on holiday 1,200 miles away

A Belgian couple on holiday in Spain spotted the armed criminals who had carjacked them at gunpoint a month previously in Liege, 1,200 miles away.

The unnamed pair saw Luc Jadoul, 47, and his girlfriend Gaëlle Deloge, 20, on a beach in Alicante.

Mr Jadoul and Miss Deloge had threatened the couple with a gun and hijacked their Nissan SUV while making a dramatic escape from a Belgian courthouse just four weeks before.

The crime victims were amazed to see Jadoul and Deloge sunning themselves on the Torrevieja beach last weekend.

Incredibly, the stolen car was also parked nearby, just yards from where the carjackers were sunbathing.

Keeping their heads and showing a “sangfroid” praised by the police, the holidaymakers let down the tyres on the car and called the authorities, who made an “easy” arrest.

A firearm was recovered from the stolen vehicle.

Both are being held in Madrid before their extradition back to Belgium.

Jadoul was the subject of an international arrest warrant. Before becoming a fugitive, he was in prison and has multiple convictions for prostitution of a minor aged 13, violence and pimping.

“No one – certainly not the criminals – could have expected an ending like this,” said a police source. “There must be more chance of winning the lottery.”

Source: Daily Telegraph

Vocabulary:

to carjack

to spot sb/sth:


at gunpoint:

to threaten:


to hijack:

a courthouse:

to sun yourself:

nearby:


a yard (measurement):

to keep your head:

to praise: 


holidaymaker:

to let down (a tyre):

a tyre:


arrest (n,v):



to hold sb:

a warrant:

pimp (v,n):

source (n):



chance (n):


Do you know of any other chance meetings?

Comments

Montse said…
Hi, Graham. How are things going?
I start the English classes on October the 18 so it is already time to begin to study. Are you in Hyland School this year or do you leave it for good? As you know I am in a higher level and I am looking forward to start them.
I read the article and it is incredibly. Definitively the world is like a handkerchief.

Vocabulary:

to spot sb/stg: encontrar algo o alguien porque estás buscándolo con la mirada

to carjack: robar un vehículo utilizando la violencia o bajo amenazas

to hijack: secuestrar un avión u otro vehículo.

To threaten: amenazar

a courthouse: un juzgado

to keep your head: “mantener la cabeza fría”

a yard(measurement): una yarda (91,44 cm)

a tyre: un neumático

to let down(a tyre): desinflar

to praise: elogiar

to pimp: un hombre que “controla” prostitutas

to hold sb: retener

a warrant: una orden judicial

to face: hacer frente, encarar

to plead: suplicar

to hug: abrazar

to embrace: abrazar

to be due to stg: deber de

to flee: escapar

to grab: agarrar

to stage stg: llevar a cabo

at gunpoint: “a punta de pistola”
Graham said…
Hi Montse,

Things are going quite well - I'm getting a nice timetable together for the year ahead. The only early start will be at MOJ. I have returned to H but I have asked for a reduced timetable. I am concentrating more on my private classes.

It's funny (=strange), it would be difficult for me to translate the list of vocabulary into Spanish but much easier to translate from Spanish into English.

I think your translations are fine except for:
To be due to sth = a causa de...
To flee = huir/ escapar

Embrace is a formal way to say hug.

I start English classes on October the 18TH so it is already time to begin to study. Are you in Hyland School this year or HAVE YOU LEFT it for good? As you know I am in a higher level and I am LOOKING FORWARD TO STARTING them.
I read the article and it is INCREDIBLE. The world is DEFINITELY like a handkerchief. (It really is a small world)

To be honest, I'm not looking forward to getting up so early but at least my new place isn't so far away. :-)