Magaluf death: Parents 'devastated' by lack of UK support

The parents of a teenager who fell to his death in Magaluf have said they were "devastated" by the lack of support offered by UK authorities.

Thomas Channon, 18, fell about 70ft (21m) over a knee-high wall at the Eden Roc complex in Majorca on 12 July.

His parents Ceri and John Channon said officers were unable to tell them the exact cause of death, which they later found out through their son's friends.

The Foreign Office said it was "assisting the family".

South Wales Police said its officers had attended the family home at the Foreign Office's request, but were "not investigating the circumstances of Mr Channon's death as this falls within the jurisdiction of the Spanish authorities".

John and Ceri Channon said they were left to book their own flights to Spain

John Channon told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme that while the police officers who informed them of their son's death were "fantastic" themselves, he and his wife were left without "any proper support" following their visit.

"It was only then that we discovered that there would be no support officer or liaison officer," he said.

"We realised the process of support only exists if [the death] happens in this country.

"What we needed was someone to come and sit with Ceri, who was broken, and help us deal with all these horrific administrative issues," he added.

The couple said that when the officers left they still had "no idea" how their son had fallen to his death.

"Was it on a beach, boat trip, heart attack? We had no information at all," Mrs Channon said.

"We waited four hours. In that time I found out via Tom's friends."

Teen 'fell over wall' to his death

Magaluf death teen's mum 'angered'

Tom Channon (left) with brothers Harry (middle) and James

Thomas, from Rhoose, Vale of Glamorgan, was the third holidaymaker from the UK to die at the complex this year.

He had travelled to Magaluf in July with a group of friends to celebrate the end of their A-levels.

The BBC has made repeated attempts to contact the resort owners.

In June, 20-year-old Tom Hughes from Wrexham died after falling about 65ft (20m) from the apartment block.

And Natalie Cormack, 19, from West Kilbride in Ayrshire, fell to her death from the seventh floor in April.

'Shocked'

The family agreed Mr Channon and other relatives would fly out to Magaluf to try and bring their son's body home.

The couple told the Victoria Derbyshire programme the family were left to book their own flights, which was "difficult because it's summer holidays".

"It was only much later in the day when the consulate there began to provide assistance and offered to book accommodation," Mr Channon said.

The Channons said they were "shocked" at how they were treated.

"We had just been told the most precious thing in your life had gone," Mrs Channon added.

The view of the knee-high wall from the complex's parking area

On the other side of the wall is a drop of around 70ft

She added that the relatives who visited the site needed someone to look after them and "not to fly on a chartered flight with 18-year-olds happily going on holiday".

"It was unbelievable - absolutely unbelievable - that at the most important time in your lives there wasn't somebody there to say, 'this is who you need to contact and this is who will guide you through the process'."

The family said their treatment only began to improve after they got in touch with their local MP, Alun Cairns.

He told the Victoria Derbyshire programme he was "irritated" by claims of a link in "so many of these cases" to excessive alcohol consumption.

"There was a 2ft wall, there was a 70ft drop behind it, lighting is poor, [the wall was] covered in foliage, and it looks like a shortcut back to their hotel," he said.

"That was the issue, and someone needs to be held accountable."

He said he was now working towards ensuring a "permanent solution" was introduced at the resort, where a temporary metal fence has been placed in front of the wall.

The Foreign Office said in a statement: "We are assisting the family of a British man who has died in Mallorca, and are in contact with the Spanish authorities."

The BBC has made repeated attempts to contact the resort owners.

Watch the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme on weekdays between 09:00 and 11:00 BST on BBC Two and the BBC News Channel in the UK and on iPlayer afterwards.