A businesswoman accused of poisoning chocolate-covered raspberries and killing two schoolgirls has appeared in court as Colombian authorities seek her extradition from Britain.
Zulma Guzman Castro, 54, was rescued from the River Thames near Battersea Bridge on December 16 last year after being identified in Colombia as the alleged killer of Ines de Bedout, 14, and 13-year-old Emilia Forero.
The teenagers died several days after eating chocolate-coated raspberries allegedly contaminated with the deadly poison thallium in April last year.
Prosecutors allege the children were killed as an act of revenge following a secret relationship between Castro and Ines’s father, Juan de Bedout.
The 21-year-old brother of one of the victims and another teenage girl also ate the raspberries and required hospital treatment.
The case has attracted intense media attention in Castro’s native Colombia, with several South American correspondents attending the opening of the week-long extradition hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
Zulma Guzman Castro, 54, founded electric car rental company Car B and is appearing in court while Colombian authorities seek her extradition.
A bottle of Buxton mineral water seen during an interview with Focus Noticias may have helped authorities locate her.
District Judge John Zani said: ‘Tomorrow both psychiatrists will give evidence, and an officer from the NCA (National Crime Agency) will address the court.’
Castro, represented by Joel Smith KC, is wanted by Bogota on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.
The businesswoman, who appeared on Shark Tank, Colombia’s version of Dragons’ Den, previously ran the car rental company CarB.
An Interpol Red Notice seeking Castro’s arrest was issued in December after she went on the run.
Her presence in Britain was discovered after she was seen drinking Buxton water during an interview with Colombian television channel Focus Noticias.
Police found her in the Thames and she was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries before being transferred to a psychiatric unit.
Officers from the National Crime Agency’s National Extradition Unit arrested her on January 6.
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Prosecutor Rosemary Davidson previously said: ‘Extradition is requested by the Colombian government on charges of murder and attempted murder.
‘It is an accusation case where extradition is sought for the purpose of a criminal prosecution.’
After Emilia’s death last year, her devastated father, Pedro Forero, shared an agonising message on social media.
Speaking shortly before Colombian prosecutors revealed they had identified a suspect in the horrific case, Mr Forero wrote: ‘Fourteen years ago, a life of hopes, joys and dreams began; a life that filled a family, a father and a mother.
‘But it wasn’t just the joy of someone else’s life; it was the beginning of the life of an excellent human being who had dreams, hopes and goals.
‘As a father, it is incomprehensible to think that someone was capable of taking this away.’
Ines de Bedout, 14, and 13-year-old Emilia Forero (pictured) died days after eating the raspberries
Pedro Forero paid a heartbreaking tribute to, 13, Emilia Forero, following her death last year
The girls were reportedly spending time at a swanky apartment in Bogota, Colombia, with an older brother and another friend after school when they ate the fatal dessert, said to have been laced with the highly dangerous poison.
The colourless, odourless and tasteless substance is commonly used in the manufacturing of electronics, optical lenses, semiconductors, alloys and radiation detection equipment.
Ines and Emilia are reported to have died four days later, according to Colombian media.
In a gut-wrenching message alongside a photo of Emilia as a baby, Forero added: ‘Daughter, you will always be the greatest love I could ever feel as a father.
‘No girlfriend or wife could ever generate the love I felt when I had you, and I will carry this love with me until the last day of my life.
‘I love you and will love you for the rest of my life. I miss you. I am sorry I could not protect you from this broken world.
‘Despite the pain, I am glad to have had you in my life. I hope to have one last hug from you, even if it is only in my dreams.’