Family of Leeds criminal Sean Hercules shot dead by police in Spain seeking answers over death

THE family of a convicted criminal from Leeds who was shot dead by Spanish police on the Costa Del Sol have an "enormous" number of questions about his death, a pre-inquest review hearing was told.
Wakefield Coroner's Court
Image: GoogleWakefield Coroner's Court
Image: Google
Wakefield Coroner's Court Image: Google

Sean Hercules, 39, was reported to have fired at officers before being shot dead during a shootout at a hotel in the resort town of Estepona, last September.

A pre inquest review hearing was held at Wakefield Coroner's Court today (Aug 14) when full inquest date was set for March 2 2020.

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Senior coroner Kevin McLoughlin said a request would be made to the Spanish authorities for information about Mr Hercules' death.

Mr McLoughlin said: "I understand we have got CCTV of armed police officers entering the building.

"That clearly suggests it's a planned operation rather than a chance encounter."

Solicitor Sara Lyle, for Sean Hercules' family, said to Mr McLoughlin: "There are an enormous number of questions the family do have. "

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"They would hope all the necessary enquiries will be done by yourself in order to obtain information from Spain with regard to how Sean Hercules died."

"For example, how many times was Sean Hercules shot? As soon as you get the post mortem report it will answer that question and probably open up up more questions."

Mr McLoughlin said: "At the moment, without the post mortem report we don't know if he was shot in the back, in the front or anything else and we don't know how many times he was shot."

Mr McLouglin said a West Yorkshire Police report indicates Mr Hercules was on the run in Spain to avoid investigation of a crime in England.

Mr McLoughlin set an inquest date for March 2 2020.

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After the shooting, Spanish police said Mr Hercules was traced to a hotel near Malaga after he was spotted fleeing a car accident with a weapon.

Witnesses said they had seen him leave the crash site near Puerto Banus on the morning of Monday September 11 2018.

He was later located at the hotel in the resort town of Estepona, around 20 minutes’ drive away.

He opened fire on officers after they confronted him and was then killed in the shootout, Spanish national police in Malaga said.

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Spanish police said Two firearms and four cartridges were found next to his body.

Mr Hercules had a history of drug trafficking and weapons possession, the statement added.

Hercules, originally from Leeds, was a convicted robber who shot a man with a double-barrelled shotgun in the city centre in 2005, weeks after being released early from prison.

The attack, which was compared to the “Wild West” by the presiding judge, left the victim with more than 250 gunshot pellets in his body.

Spanish police said a judicial investigation into the fatal shooting was ordered.