The three children of a murdered British expat released white balloons into the sky at an emotional vigil for her.
Hairdresser Victoria Hart, 33, was found by paramedics in a pool of blood with a kitchen knife by her side at her Spanish home, where she had lived for more than 20 years.
Police have arrested her former partner, Juan Antonio Rueda, the father of their three children, after he drove to a nearby prison and told officers: ‘Arrest me, I’ve done something very bad.’
Ms Hart’s children – her 11-year-old son and twin seven-year-old girls – were joined by their grandmother Sue and Victoria’s sister Jessica Cussen, who thanked the 250-strong crowd for coming to the minute’s silence.
Sue, dressed in a black coat, held onto the hand of one of the twins and fought back tears as the town hall clock chimed at 5pm to mark the start of the minute’s silence.
As they stood in tears on the steps of the town hall in Alhaurin el Grande near Malaga, white balloons were released into the sky, and a round of applause broke out from those who had gathered to remember Ms Hart.
Afterwards, Mrs Cussen told the sombre crowd: ‘Thank you all for coming today, all I have to say at this moment is, we want justice for Victoria, and we will get justice for Victoria. That’s all for now.’
Bystanders – many in tears – applauded her as her husband James stood behind her and blew them a kiss in acknowledgement of their support.
Hairdresser Victoria Hart, 33, was found by paramedics in a pool of blood with a kitchen knife by her side at her Spanish home, where she had lived for more than 20 years
Ms Hart’s children, her 11-year-old son and twin seven-year-old girls, were joined by their grandmother Sue and Victoria’s sister Jessica Cussen, who thanked the 250-strong crowd for coming to the minute’s silence
White balloons were released into the sky, and a round of applause broke out from those who had gathered to remember Ms Hart
Sue, dressed in a black coat, held onto the hand of one of the twins and fought back tears as the town hall clock chimed at 5pm to mark the start of the minute’s silence
The three children of a murdered British expat joined an emotional tribute to her as her heartbroken family demanded justice for her brutal death
On her Facebook page, Mrs Cussen, who also lives in Alhaurin el Grande, posted the silhouette of a woman, circled by a purple ribbon with the phrase ‘Alto a la violencia domestica’ (Stop domestic violence).
Ms Hart was attacked on Saturday at around 11.40am, and the alarm was raised after her son ran into the garden shouting for help. He is then said to have called his grandmother as well, who alerted the police.
Reports that the children pressed a panic alarm in the house were denied by family sources, who said the property didn’t have one, but they were critical of Spanish authorities, who had failed to properly monitor Rueda.
One said: ‘There’s a lot we can say about the system and how it failed Victoria, but now is not the time and the place. Now is just about her three children and looking after them, they are what is important.’
Ms Hart, who was originally from Solihull, West Midlands, had moved to Spain with her parents and older sister when she was eight-years-old.
Her mother also lives nearby and runs an Estee Lauder concession in a local department store, and her father Sidney died in 2019.
Councillor Macarena Herrera, who stood in for the mayor as he was away on business, was also in tears, as she said: ‘Our deepest sorrow and sympathy for what happened in our town on Saturday goes to Victoria’s family.
‘We hope that by being here together as a community for a minute’s silence in memory of Victoria, we can give strength, support, solidarity, and love towards her family and the whole council express their sympathy.
‘We condemn robustly violence towards women, it is a plague on society that must be eradicated.’
Flags outside the town hall building were at half mast, as were those in the main square, as a mark of respect for Ms Hart, whose death was the fifth to hit the town in just over a month.
It is set in motion when a woman goes to a police station to report domestic violence and uses an algorithm to predict the risk faced in the future, as well as establish protection measures.
However, critics say some of the people the system is supposed to protect fall through the cracks because of an overreliance on software to determine abuse, and have called for more professionals specialised in violence against women to make it work properly.
Ms Hart’s best friend Maxine Hill, who also lives in Spain and was at the memorial, standing with the family, posted an emotional tribute to her friend on Facebook as she set up a GoFundMe page.
According to local reports, Ms Hart was registered on the VioGen system, which was introduced in 2004 in Spain to monitor those who are at risk of domestic violence.
Ms Hart’s best friend Gemma at the emotional vigil in Alhaurin el Grande, near Malaga, Southern Spain
Police have arrested her former partner, Juan Antonio Rueda, the father of the three children, after he drove to a nearby prison and told officers: ‘Arrest me, I’ve done something very bad’
The expat (pictured here with her mother) lived in the residential estate of Alhaurin el Grande, a 50-minute drive inland from Marbella
She said: ‘Our beautiful friend Victoria was taken from us far too soon on Saturday morning.
‘Her life was stolen in an act of unimaginable violence, leaving behind three innocent children who have lost both their mum and their dad in one moment.
‘Victoria lived for her children. She fought for them with everything she had, and they were her whole world. Now those children are facing a future without her love, protection, and care.
‘Until everything is concluded and official support can be accessed, Victoria’s family is currently carrying the full financial responsibility for the children’s immediate needs. This includes essentials such as food, clothing, utilities, and day-to-day care.
‘We are raising funds to help ease this immediate burden and to provide some stability for the children while the family navigates the unimaginable.
‘Any donation, no matter the amount, is an act of love for Victoria’s children and will help carry them through the days ahead. Thank you for standing with them, and with us, during this unbearable time.’
As the memorial ended, the total amount raised stood at almost 20,000 euros.
Maxine, who met Victoria as a teenager in Spain, posted an emotional tribute to her friend yesterday evening.
Her moving message recollecting how they had grown up together said: ‘We were thirteen when we learned to feel alive, growing up under Spanish skies, music spilling out of open doors, the town breathing with us at its centre.
‘Dancing on bars like we owned the night, barefoot, fearless, laughing too loud. We were the heart of that town, and you were always the pulse.
‘We drove mopeds through warm evenings, hair flying, rules forgotten, the road ahead lit by nothing but freedom and bad decisions we’d laugh about forever.
‘Underage drinks, stolen sips, clinking glasses to futures we hadn’t met yet, believing the world was kind because it hadn’t proven us wrong – yet.
‘And somehow, through all the chaos, you grew into something even braver. A mother, a warrior.
‘You fought with everything you had – every breath, every ounce of strength, standing tall when the weight was unbearable, protecting them the only way you knew how: completely.
‘What was taken from you was unforgivable. What happened will never make sense.
‘Darling girl, your story does not end there.
Victoria Hart, 33, (right, pictured with her ex Juan Antonio Rueda) was stabbed to death at her family home in the La Paca area of Alhaurin el Grande in Malaga
‘You are still the girl on the bar, dancing. Still, the blur of a moped at sunset. Still, the laughter echoing through our town. Still, the heart that held everyone together.
‘You live on in every memory from thirteen to thirty-three, a lifetime of friendship I will carry forever.
‘You were joy. You were fire. You were love in its fiercest form. And you will always be remembered for how brightly you lived.’
Another friend called Gemma, who was at the memorial, told the Daily Mail: ‘She lived for her kids, she was such a great mum and a fabulous hairdresser. She’s done my hair for eight years; she did my hair for my wedding.
‘Those poor kids are going to be scarred for life now. We just want the family and them to get justice as her sister just said, Victoria was full of life, she was bubbly, and she was such fun.’
Rueda – a former semi-professional footballer – is expected to appear in court on Tuesday in connection with her murder as forensic teams combed the house on the outskirts of the town for evidence.
