Laurence Dollimore
THE father of a young Brit who was punched to death in Spain has revealed how not knowing who murdered his son almost killed too after he suffered a sudden heart attack.
Ian Mallon said he thought he was about to see his son Craig again after being struck down by ‘crushing’ chest pains.
Ian and his wife Antoinette told the Sun the ‘constant anguish’ they’ve endured over the years caused his heart attack nine weeks ago, and said Spanish police have not made enough progress.
Recalling the terrifying moment, the 53-year-old, of Coatbridge, north Lanarkshire, said: “I woke up in the middle of the night with crippling, crushing chest pains. It felt as though an elephant was sitting on my chest – I’ve never experienced anything like it. I thought I was about to meet my maker – and at that point all I could see was Craig’s face.
“And I remember thinking, ‘I’ll see my son again. And I was torn because, at the same time, I was telling myself, ‘Ian, you can’t die before knowing who killed your lad’.”
Antoinette phoned for an ambulance when Ian woke in the night screaming with pain.
He was rushed to nearby Hairmyers hospital, where he underwent urgent heart surgery and medics inserted two stents.
Ian added: “It was terrifying for Antoinette. She was by my side in the ambulance, holding my hand and crying, and though I was drifting in and out of consciousness, the pain in my chest was getting worse. Luckily surgeons were able to insert the stents, which stabilised me.
“Doctors said the attack was brought on by stress and I know it was, too. My health has deteriorated rapidly since Craig was killed. Craig’s death is the last thing you think of at night and your first thought when you wake up pin the morning. Our lives will never be the same.”
Son Craig was visiting the Costa Brava for his brother Bryan’s stag do in 2012.
Bryan, 28, and five of the group had gone to their beds at 4am but Craig and three friends stayed in the Llorett del Mar area until closing time just after six.
Craig was last seen talking to a girl with long blonde hair a few feet from the door of the club. His friends turned to check he was following and saw a man punch him hard on the side of the head.
As people tried to revive Craig his killer ran off into the crowd. Paramedics battled in vain for almost an hour to save him but he died at the scene.
His family had to hire a private investigator after official investigations went cold.
The investigator managed to obtain CCTV footage identifying four French men entering the local police station on CCTV at around 6.40am, just over 30 minutes after the killing.
He believes they are key to the investigation.
Investigator Swindle said: “These are the four French people who hold the key to what happened to Craig Mallon. They were at the scene when the incident happened.
“They had their car towed away from a street behind the place where Craig was killed. Four French males, walking through that scene when the incident was started.”
Swindle is calling on the government to intervene, fearing the recent collapse of the Catalanya region will further hinder the investigation.
He said: “The fatal blow inflicted on Criag Mallon in front of numerous potential witnesses in a busy street I would have thought that would have been a simple investigation.
“Against the backdrop of communication, legal and logistical challenges Craig’s family’s team have established that potential lines of enquiry including interviews and investigation of key individuals and possible suspects at the scene have not been progressed.
“Due to the lack of progress five years after Craig’s death, we’d hoped to submit a detailed Independent Review Report in English and Spanish to the Catalan Minister of Interior responsible for legal issues, including the Mossos d’Esquadra (Catalan Police).
“But now the Catalan government is dissolved, who do we turn to? We have therefore approached Hugh Gaffney MP to seek political intervention.”
