Yahoo News A killer walking free and a mum desperate to know 'what happened to my son?'
A heartbroken mum has pleaded with her son's killer to explain why he was stabbed to death on a Spanish island.
Andrew Walch, known as Ed, was found dying in a pool of his own blood when neighbours raised the alarm after hearing shouting coming from a flat at the Island Village complex in Tenerife, on May 6, 2021.
Police discovered that the body of the 31-year-old had been moved to the outer corridor after being stabbed in the back inside one of the apartments.
Dad-of-two Ed, who had moved out to the tourist hotspot of Playa de las Americas after falling in love with the area while on holiday in 2020, was left bleeding to death on the ground while three men, including Jimmi Nicol, cleaned the blood instead of seeking help.
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Nicol, also an ex-pat, was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter but and inquest heard how the prosecution was stayed due to a "quirk" in the Spanish justice system.
At an inquest held last week, Area Coroner Kate Bisset described how police in Spain could see 'inaccuracies' in Nicol's story. She described his account as "not credible", adding that "the argument of self-defence was dismissed" while two pathologists said the fatal would was "unlikely" to have occurred accidentally.
Despite the evidence against Nicol a Spanish judge issued an order in 2022 effectively halting any potential trial. The order can only be overturned by Ed's family - but at a cost of "thousands and thousands of pounds".
During the inquest Ed's mum Jeanette revealed that her son had previously been diagnosed with cancer but had "got better". She added: "I need to know what happened to my son.
"He had a troubled life and fought many battles. He could be a bit of a prankster and could wind people up but it's his life they took."
Ed's family heard how one witness saw Nicol and two other men go in and out of the apartment several times after moving Ed's body. One was carrying a mop and bucket.
Eventually, one of the three men was seen attempting to hand a bottle of water to Ed, who was heard shouting "help, help", and telling him "you are going to survive".
Ed's mum Jeanette revealed she had a Zoom video call with the judge who stayed Nicol's prosecution. "We didn't understand what he was saying," she said during the inquest.
"Then it was explained that if we did raise a charge with the five people in the flat, all with different lawyers, it could cost thousands and thousands.
"We assumed he would be charged. He was only in custody for a short while. It's such a corrupt place; solicitors we spoke to in Spain said they wouldn't go over there."
