Calls for 'joined-up review' two years on from Levi Davis' disappearance
The rugby star disappeared in Barcelona two years ago
Last updated 29th Oct 2024
The safeguarding minister is leading calls for a 'joined-up review' into new evidence in the case of missing ex-Bath rugby player Levi Davis.
The rugby star, who also appeared on the celebrity version of the X Factor, disappeared in Barcelona two years ago, with the official investigation closing 12 months later.
Journalists claim to have found 'failings' in Spanish police's handling of the case - and now, his mum is calling on officers there to review new evidence in the case, saying investigators "pulled out the stops" searching for Jay Slater and Madeleine McCann and need to do the same for her son.
Read more: Rugby community appeals for information after former Bath player goes missing
The 26-year-old was last seen at The Old Irish Pub on October 29 2022, and the official investigation into his disappearance by the city's police force, the Mossos d'Esquadra, became inactive in October the following year.
Jess Phillips is now echoing calls for a "joined up" police review of new evidence, after a 14-month Byline Times investigation which found "serious failings" in the Spanish probe into Mr Davis' disappearance.
'We have felt abandoned by police'
The failings include flaws in a police report that concluded Mr Davis probably drowned at sea under strange circumstances and an "unexplained failure" to recover CCTV footage of the former rugby player in Barcelona, according to the outlet.
Mr Davis' mother, Julie Davis, said: "We have felt abandoned by the police and I believe Levi was a victim of crime in the UK and in Spain. So many things do not add up.
"I'm determined to fight for the truth.
"They pulled out the stops to find Jay Slater and search and pursue justice for Madeleine McCann. They need to do the same now for Levi."
"Until his body is found, I will not give up hope," she added.
Four days before Mr Davis went missing, he posted a video to Instagram claiming his life was in danger because he had spoken out about an alleged plot to blackmail him.
A man was reportedly seen in distress one nautical mile out to sea early on the morning of October 30 2022.
Read more: Cruise ship staff 'tried to save man in water' on night ex-Bath Rugby player went missing
According to the Byline Times, the Mossos d'Esquadra declined to comment and asked for questions to be directed to the relevant judge, but a courts' spokesman also declined to comment.
Ms Phillips, who is Ms Davis' MP, told the outlet in July: "It's clear that some lines of inquiry connected to the disappearance of Mr Davis have yet to be properly explored.
"All avenues and inquiries should be exhausted both in the United Kingdom and Catalonia. Too many questions remain for the family and friends of Mr Davis and I would urge the police in both jurisdictions to work together to act on any new information."
Former president of the National Black Police Association and chairman of the Met Black Police Association, Janet Hills, said the UK police need to "reinvestigate this from scratch".
"There should be questions asked until there is nothing left to be done," she said.
"There should be a reconstruction to help fill the gaps, to jog people's memories at a broader level. It needs something similar to the Madeline McCann case, a dedicated unit looking at it."
Mr Davis appeared on ITV's Celebrity X Factor in 2019, alongside fellow rugby stars Ben Foden and Thom Evans, in a singing group known as Try Star.
He was also on E4's Celebs Go Dating in 2020.