Brit, 19, who plunged to death from balcony during lads holiday is named
This is the first picture of a British teenager who plunged to his death from a fifth-floor balcony on the last day of a lads’ holiday in Spain.
Luke Freeman, 19, from Reading, Berks, died instantly after falling from tourist apartments in the Costa Brava resort of Lloret de Mar just before 6.30am yesterday morning.
Police are treating the tragedy as an accident after concluding that he lost his balance and toppled over the balcony after a night out with friends.
He was staying at Apartamentos Trimar in the centre of Lloret but had gone back to another block with six friends who had checked in a week earlier.
They were due to return to the UK late yesterday after giving statements to police.
Close friend Jack Luttman, also from Reading, said: “Words can’t explain how devastated I am.
“Luke Freeman, you were like a brother to me and I’ll always love you man.
“Rest easy bro. Thank you for all the memories you have given me since the age of six. You were truly a legend.
“And you have no idea how much you will be missed by me and everyone who knew you. RIP.”
Berkshire-based DJ Mark Shepherd-Ellis, in a message for music fan Luke, said: “Having a beer for you now. The sky has been blessed.”
A spokesman for record label and events firm Faded Audio said in a social media post: “We’ve heard the sad news about Luke Freeman.
“It’s never nice to lose someone so young. We remember Luke being at our first-ever event having it off at front barrier for most of the night.
“Hope you rave it hard in paradise young king. May you rest easy. We send our deepest condolences to Luke’s family and friends at this hard time.”
Another pal from Reading, Joe Kennedy, wrote alongside a picture of the apartments where yesterday morning’s tragedy occurred: “My f##king bro will be missed dearly. Family.”
Supermarket cashier Phoebe Costard, offering her support to the dead man’s friends, added: “Can’t imagine what you guys are going through. He was a great guy. Thinking of you all.”
A spokesman for the Guardia Civil said: “I can confirm a British man has died after falling from a fifth-floor balcony in Lloret de Mar.
“He was on holiday in the area.”
A well-placed source said: “An investigation is underway and is being conducted by Mossos d’Esquadra in the nearby town of Blanes but witnesses have said it was an accident and he wasn’t trying to jump from balcony to balcony or anything like that.
“It’s a matter for the investigation but given the time it happened, at 6.20am in the morning, officers will be looking at whether the holidaymaker had been out for the night and if alcohol played a part in the tragedy.”
It was initially believed Luke had been staying at the apartments where he died but investigators later confirmed he was a guest elsewhere.
Some of the friends he was with are understood to have seen him plunge to his death and spent most of yesterday at a police station giving statements before flying home.
A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesman said: “We are assisting the family of a British man who died in Lloret de Mar and are in contact with the Spanish police.”
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