Family's plea over dad found dead 24 hours after landing in Benidorm
'We're exhausted but we'll keep fighting'
Father-of-four Nathan Osman died following a fall while on holiday in Benidorm with friends
(Image: Osman family )
The family of a man who was found dead less than 24 hours after arriving in Benidorm say they have "been through hell" and have pleaded for more support from authorities. Father-of-four Nathan Osman, 30, from Pontypridd, was found dead at the bottom of a cliff while on holiday in September 2024.
Speaking to S4C's Y Byd ar Bedwar programme, his family have said that they didn't get the support they had expected from the Foreign Office, and are now fighting for a change in the law.
Nathan pictured with his friends the night he went missing
(Image: Lee Evans )
Nathan's death was originally ruled as an accident or potential suicide by Spanish authorities but Nathan's family say they did not believe this was the case and have been conducting their own investigation to prove this ever since.
Alannah Hughes, Nathan's sister, said: "We knew straight away that there was something untoward behind this story and behind Nathan's death.
"I received a phone call off a Spanish number. They said 'your brother has been found dead at the bottom of a cliff' and that was it."
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The family travelled to Benidorm to gather their own evidence to present to the National Police, an act which Nathan's brother, Lee Evans, described as "instinctive."
"We've had to fight for evidence and for answers, but there is still so much we don't know," said Lee.
The evidence they managed to obtain included proof of attempts to use Nathan's bank card in the hours after he died on September 28.
They created a list of properties with CCTV that hadn't been collected by local police.
The last image of Nathan of CCTV
(Image: BeniCam - Benidorm Webcam )
After the family presented the evidence, the National Police in Benidorm reopened Nathan's case as a homicide investigation, but despite this development the family maintains that there has been a lack of support throughout.
'We reached out to the police here in Benidorm. We had no help. No support from any authority," said Alannah.
They are now calling for a change of law to provide more help for families of British nationals who have been murdered abroad, with the backing of their local MP, Labour's Alex Davies-Jones.
This would include a statutory framework to provide consistent communication in English to bereaved families, as well as a named point of contact.
Lee told Y Byd ar Bedwar that this framework should extend to increased financial support – something which would have helped them pay the £7,000 needed to transport Nathan's body back home to the UK.
In response, a spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: "Our staff stand ready to support British nationals around the world. In any given year, we support around 20,000 British nationals and their families.
"In cases of British nationals who die abroad, we can provide personalised support including practical information regarding processes in different countries."
Alannah feels these changes are necessary. She says her and her family have "been through hell" and says she wants to see reform so that any families who may go through something similar in the future do not have to endure what they have.
"We're exhausted but we'll keep fighting. We want families in the future, if they lose loved ones abroad, to have a structure that we didn't have," she said.
Lee added: 'We can look at the family, to Nathan's children, and tell them we've tried everything and done everything to get answers."
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The National Police in Benidorm has said they cannot comment or share information as the investigation is still ongoing, including responding to the family's claims about the way they have handled Nathan's case.
You can watch the full programme 'Y Byd ar Bedwar: Damweiniau dros y dŵr' on S4C or BBC iPlayer on Monday, 16 June, at 8pm. English subtitles are available.
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