Mother of missing ex-Bath Rugby player Levi Davis calls for review of new evidence

The mother of a man who vanished in Spain two years ago has called for the police to review new evidence to do with his disappearance.

Levi Davis was last seen at The Old Irish Pub in Barcelona on 29 October 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.

Police in Barcelona concluded the 26-year-old, who played for Bath Rugby, probably drowned at sea.

But now Mr Davis' mother, Julie Davis, has joined local MP Jess Phillips in calling for a "joined up" police review of new evidence.

Ms Davis said investigators "pulled out the stops" searching for Jay Slater and Madeleine McCann and need to do the same for her son.

"We have felt abandoned by the police and I believe Levi was a victim of crime in the UK and in Spain," she said.

"So many things do not add up. I'm determined to fight for the truth".

"Until his body is found, I will not give up hope," she added.

Mr Davis, who is from Birmingham, posted a video to Instagram four days before his disappearance claiming his life was in danger because he had spoken out about an alleged plot to blackmail him, with pictures said to have been taken while he was drugged and raped.

A 14-month investigation by the Byline Times found evidence around claims of sextortion involving OnlyFans, and identified a "top TV executive" whom Mr Davis alleged was part of a blackmail plot against him.

The investigation, by journalists Dan Evans and Tom Latchem, looked into "every aspect" of the case.

Mr Evans said: "We can prove he was groomed online under false pretences.

"We've also found four witnesses who connect the same individual to the blackmail claims and two others who say OnlyFans was one intended conduit for Levi to earn money for what he said was a sex-trafficking outfit".

What do the Spanish police think happened to Levi Davis in Barcelona?

The Mossos d'Esquadra's working theory is that Mr Davis drowned at sea and that no crime was committed. Their investigations into his death ended a year ago.

A man was reportedly seen in distress one nautical mile out to sea early on the morning of 30 October 2022.

But those behind the Byline Times investigation believe there were "serious failings"n the Spanish probe into Mr Davis’ disappearance.

These 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 Evans said: "We have made major new discoveries around the police's preferred theory that Levi drowned, including establishing that unidentified parties had to be involved if indeed it was him seen shouting for help in a busy shipping lane a mile out to sea, casting doubt on the official finding that there is no evidence of crime."

Mr Latchem added: "Our objective was to make the case for further investigation into Levi's disappearance.

"We have been shocked by some glaring holes in the work of the police in Spain. And we've also found evidence of Levi being targeted in the UK.

"We now think there are clear grounds for a joined-up review involving police in both countries, starting with the rape and blackmail allegations".

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.

Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips has also backed the calls for a joint review of the evidence by British and Spanish police.

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."