Ben Ross: British mother flies to Majorca to look for missing trainee barrister son

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

A mother has spoken of her personal “torture” as she launches a search for her missing son on the Spanish island of Majorca.

Ben Ross, 26, had moved to the tourist hotspot of Palma to take a break from studying as a barrister in June 2024.

But after being having his belongings stolen during a trip to the beach, his family said a series of events have led to him going missing.

He was left in the tourist hotspot with no money, phone and no way of contacting anyone.

Now his mum Felix is planning to go out to Palma City to find her son.

Felix said: “Like any mother, no matter what age your children are, they are still your children. I just need to know my son is safe and well. The last few days have been torture. Please, if anyone has seen Ben, even if it’s just for a second, let the authorities know. We need to find him”.

The trainee barrister from Golbourne, near Wigan, had his phone, passport iPad, wallet and keys stolen as he swam in the sea.

He reported the thefts to police but got lost on the way home and was unable to get back into his apartment until late. According to his family he tried to break in, causing an argument with his flatmates on 6 July.

Since then he has been threatened with eviction.

Felix fears for her son’s whereabouts, which remain unclear, and she now has no choice but to appeal to the local residents and tourists in the Palma area, for information and any sightings of her son.

She has launched a GoFundMe to raise £5,000 to fund her search and has enlisted the help of Charity LBT Global, which has been supporting Jay Slater’s family in Tenerife.

Jay’s mother, Debbie Duncan, remains on the Spanish island after the 19-year-old’s body was found on Monday.

Spanish officials believe the teenager’s death was caused by trauma due to a fall in the rocky area near the northern village of Masca.

The apprentice bricklayer was seen living the village on the morning of 16 June as he embarked on a 11-hour walk back to his holiday accommodation.

Since the identification of Jay’s body, Charity LBT Global has been helping the family complete documents as part of the repatriation process,

Any funds not used for Ben’s GoFundMe will be donated to the Andy’s Man Club charity supporting men’s mental health.

Anyone with sightings of Ben, or information about his whereabouts, has been asked to get in touch with the British Consulate and local police.