The mother of missing ex-rugby player and Celebrity X Factor star Levi Davis has called on police to review new evidence in the case and pull out all the stops in searching for her son.
The 26-year-old former Bath player was last seen outside a pub in Barcelona two years ago, but since then no trace of him has been found, with police concluding he may have drowned at sea under strange circumstances.
Now his mother is calling for the authorities to treat her son like Jay Slater or Madeleine McCann, amid a 14-month investigation by the Byline Times finding serious failings by Spanish police investigating his disappearance.
Levi went missing on October 29, 2022, and the official investigation into his disappearance by the citys police force, the Mossos dEsquadra, became inactive in October the following year.
Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips has also called for a joined up police review of new evidence after the unexplained failure to recover CCTV footage of the former rugby player in Barcelona.
Ex-rugby player Levi Davis was last seen in a pub in Barcelona two years ago
His mother Julie Davis has said she will not give up hope until his body is found
A beach photo of Levi was taken just a week before his disappearance and was meant to go with his second music single
Levi 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.
Im 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 Levi 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, with pictures said to have been taken while he was drugged and raped.
The Byline Times investigation, by journalists Dan Evans and Tom Latchem, found evidence around claims of sextortion involving OnlyFans, and identified a top TV executive whom Levi alleged was part of a blackmail plot against him.
Mr Evans said: Weve looked into every aspect of Levis case and we can prove he was groomed online under false pretences.
Weve 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.
This map shows the location where Levi was last seen, at the Old Irish Pub in Barcelona
Posters were put up around the city two years ago when Levi first went missing
Levi posted a video to Instagram claiming his life was in danger four days before he went missing
Levis mother Julie Davis (pictured together)has called for police to treat her son like Jay Slater or Madeleine McCann
We have made major new discoveries around the polices 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.
A man was reportedly seen in distress one nautical mile out to sea early on the morning of October 30, 2022.
Mr Latchem added: Our objective was to make the case for further investigation into Levis disappearance.
We have been shocked by some glaring holes in the work of the police in Spain. And weve 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 dEsquadra declined to comment and asked for questions to be directed to the relevant judge, but a courts spokesman also declined to comment.
The winger, 24, who starred on X Factor: Celebrity, was last seen out with friends
Levi Davis is pictured in the last video he sent to his mother before he went missing in October
CCTV shows Levi leaving an Irish bar in Barcelona on October 29
Ms Phillips, who is Ms Davis MP, told the outlet in July: Its 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 added.
There should be a reconstruction to help fill the gaps, to jog peoples memories at a broader level. It needs something similar to the Madeline McCann case, a dedicated unit looking at it.
He was also on E4s Celebs Go Dating in 2020.
