Drunk, drugged and heavily tattoed Briton causes mayhem in Puerto de la Cruz hotel

[Janet]

A 45-year-old British man completely wrecked a floor of Puerto de la Cruz' Hotel La Paz in the early hours of yesterday morning. The man was staying at the hotel with his wife, and is said to have been drunk and high on drugs when he ran amok, throwing over ornamental plants, kicking doors and walls, arguing heatedly with his partner, and threatening a receptionist who was so scared that she took hold of a bottle to defend herself. His wife ended up at the bottom of a flight of stairs, though it is unclear whether he pushed her or she threw herself down them.

Police say that the man had, in fact, already been involved in another altercation hours before, when he threw a computer keyboard through a window. When the police were called, they were greeted by a highly agitated and heavily tattooed individual asking "do you want kung-fu?", who then launched himself at the officers, pushing one dangerously close to the windows giving onto the lift shaft. Cut and bruised but otherwise unimpressed, they arrested him and took him to the Comisaría, where he is being processed for the offences of causing damage and injury, resisting agents of authority, and threatening behaviour. JA

[Michael]

Between that and the TV show Costa Del Crime I despair.

Does any other nationality behave as badly as the Brits when abroad?

[Nova]

It sounds to me like this guy would behave just as badly at home 

[El Profesor]

He will find out that the police here aren't as ...... how shall i put it? ......... worried about the attention the media might show towards their treatment of animals like this.

[Perikles]

Yes, I love that expression 'being processed' 

[Michael]

He will find out that the police here aren't as ...... how shall i put it? ......... worried about the attention the media might show towards their treatment of animals like this.

I saw a classic example of that on Costa Del Crime.

Police were restraining a Brit drunk trying to sort out a dispute when a passing Brit girl (also drunk) punched or pushed the cop on the arm and shouted 'Leave him alone'.

Big mistake. 

Without hesitation the cop gave her an almighty back hander right across her face after which she retreated with her equally drunk friends bawling her eyes out.

I'm not a violent person and very old-fashioned about the idea of hitting a woman but boy did she deserve it.

[Guanche]

Is there any other nation that has such a glut of angry aggressive drunken thuggish yobs? I am ashamed to say, I think not!

[Michael]

Is there any other nation that has such a glut of angry aggressive drunken thuggish yobs? I am ashamed to say, I think not!

This is what I don't understand. Is it just the British?

And if so why?

[Myrtle Hogan-Lance]

Dunno, but I have only ever heard of it or seen it from Brits. 

We went to the RWC final in Paris in 2007, and everybody who didn't have tickets in the Stade de France headed for the Eiffel Tower where they had put up half a dozen giant screens.  We got there around 8 pm I think, and walked across a ground completely covered in beer cans and bottles - yes the British had been there drinking since before 2 in the afternoon.  They threw so many bottles at the screens that a notice was put up that if they didn't stop they would stop the transmission.  The SA fans were all well behaved, but by the time we left the Brits were punching each other out.  Not a very nice sight.