A FORMER Suffolk businessman who is today fighting for his life in hospital after being shot by robbers in his luxury Spanish home has regained consciousness.
A FORMER Suffolk businessman who is today fighting for his life in hospital after being shot by robbers in his luxury Spanish home has regained consciousness.
Brian Cowan, 61, is in intensive care in hospital in Malaga after being shot three times when he was confronted by a gang of four men in his villa in Alhaurin el Grande on the Costa del Sol on July 13.
His wife Linda, who was struck on the back of the head by one of the gunmen during the attack, said her husband had slightly improved, but the family were taking it one day at a time.
She said: "He has regained consciousness but is still in intensive care and is still very sick.
"In the last week there has been a slight improvement and I hope it continues. It can go up one day and down the next."
Former haulage boss Mr Cowan, who lived in Felixstowe before moving to Spain, was believed to be in his bedroom of the property when robbers burst in during the early hours of the morning.
He was then shot three times while his helpless wife looked on.
The raiders fled the scene in a vehicle parked outside with jewellery and a Rolex watch.
It has since emerged police in Malaga have arrested a gang of eastern European men suspected of carrying out a wave of similar burglaries on the Costa del Sol while the owners were at home.
Officers in the region are presently investigating to see if a link can be found between the gang and the robbery at Mr Cowan's home.
Four men and one woman, of Kosovan Albanian origin, have been charged with burgling 14 homes at different times while the owners were at home.
Further inquiries are continuing which could result in further charges being brought.
Mr Cowan, who has a property business in Spain, has already undergone life-saving operations since he was admitted to hospital, with surgeons working around the clock.
It is understood doctors removed three bullets and treated a serious wound to his abdomen.
Mr Cowan has previously lost both a son and a daughter in separate tragic accidents. Friends and family in Suffolk are praying for his recovery.
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