The mother of a 19-year-old killed in an alleged hit-and-run in Tenerife has expressed her horror at discovering her son was buried without his heart, which was retained by Spanish authorities. Harry Beg, from Kirkby, Merseyside, died on December 1 after being struck by a driver who failed to stop while he was riding an electric bike in Arona. He suffered severe head injuries and died at the scene.
Nicola Gardner, 50, said she was informed by the Spanish coroner just hours before her son's funeral on January 6 that his heart had been kept for further testing. She told the Liverpool Echo: 'The biggest part of Harry was his heart. If Harry loved you, he loved you with everything. The biggest part of Harry is stuck in Tenerife, where he was killed; left like a dog to die in the road. We've buried him without it.'
Spanish police have launched a murder investigation into the death, with investigators referring to it as a 'criminal death'. In messages seen by the Echo, they stated the heart 'is being preserved pending further testing as the investigation progresses'. Ms Gardner voiced frustration over the lack of progress, saying: 'I just want to know who killed him.' She noted that two eyewitness statements have been obtained but no arrests have been made.
Harry, who would have turned 20 in two weeks, was the youngest of four brothers. His mother described him as 'caring, lovely, dead funny' and said his siblings are 'devastated'. She had not seen him since he moved to Tenerife 18 months ago, and the first time she travelled there after his death, she was not allowed to see him due to a lack of a translator.
The funeral was delayed by a day due to paperwork issues with Spanish authorities. Ms Gardner added: 'There was no need for them to take the heart. He had a healthy heart, and he died of a catastrophic head injury. There was no peace for me at the funeral, no closure.' Liverpool and Wirral's coroner's office was informed of the death on New Year's Eve, 30 days after the incident.
