Police searching for the boyfriend of a missing expatriate Scot have been told he is in Thailand.
Boat owner Simon Corner, 33, disappeared from southern Spain after he was questioned by police in the port of Sotogrande in connection with the disappearance of Lisa Brown.
Ms Brown, 32, originally from Alexandria, Dumbartonshire, was last seen on November 4. She had been due to start a new job in Gibraltar.
Police have now said they believe Mr Corner, from Liverpool, is in the Thai resort of Pattaya.
Mr Corner has made contact with legal advisors who will now speak to police to establish whether they regard him as a formal suspect.
His legal advisor Jason Coghlan confirmed he had contacted the company through its office in Thailand.
Mr Corner said he had not fled Spain and was out of the country for work reasons.
He also said his client, who was jailed last year in Gibraltar for possession of an offensive weapon after a nightclub altercation, had told him he was “shell-shocked” to discover he was being portrayed as a man on the run and had “nothing to hide” because he had not done anything wrong.
Mr Coghlan, who is liaising with a Malaga-based lawyer who plans to speak to Spanish police on Monday, said: “I don’t know Mr Corner’s exact whereabouts but I do know that he is horrified at the suggestion that he has anything to do with Lisa Brown’s disappearance and that he fled Spain because of it.
“He was under no duty to remain in Spain and he left the country for work reasons.
“He’s an international boat dealer whose job involves foreign travel.
“I have instructed lawyers in Spain to contact police as soon as possible and ascertain what their position is in respect of my client and advise him accordingly.
“Mr Corner assures me he has nothing to hide.
“I’m a staunch believer in the police keeping an open mind in these sorts of situations.
“My client is an easy target if he’s got a criminal record.
“This could have been a voluntary disappearance or it could have something to do with someone else she knows.
“I think the Spanish police would have applied for an international arrest warrant for Mr Corner if they had evidence he was responsible and my understanding is that they haven’t done that."
Ms Brown's eight year old son has been looked after by his father Tony Tomillero at home near Gibraltar. Ms Brown lived in the town of Guadiaro. Her home has been sealed off by police.
Mr Corner's whereabouts emerged as a Facebook page set up by her Helen Jordan to find her sister had nearly 13,000 members.
Spain's Civil Guard said that "all avenues are being explored" in the investigation.
Police have searched Mr Corner's 30-foot sailing boat in dry dock.
A source close to investigation said: “The Guardia Civil is aware Simon Corner has left Spain for the Far East.”
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