The search for our son’s killer has made us both ill

A couple who are fighting to find the man who killed their son say their health has been wrecked by the ordeal.

Ian Mallon has suffered a stroke which he believes was brought on by the anguish he has endured after their son Craig was murdered two years ago tomorrow.

Ian, 48, now has tremors in his right arm and leg, is in constant pain and is often bed-bound.

He also had to undergo major surgery earlier this month to treat compression on his spine after he began collapsing on a regular basis. Meanwhile his wife Antoinette is struggling with depression.

The couple’s health problems have forced them to cancel a trip to the Spanish town where Craig died as part of their fight for justice.

Quantity surveyor Craig, 26, was killed by a single blow to the head as he talked to a girl outside a nightclub in Lloret de Mar on May 19 last year. No one has ever been convicted for the attack.

Ian said: “I started to get tremors down my right hand side. I went to the doctor and was told I had suffered a mini stroke. I believe it’s been caused by the anxiety of what’s happened.

“Every day is tough. Craig’s death is the last thing you think of at night and your first thought in the morning. Our lives will never be the same.”

Craig was in the Costa Brava resort for his brother Bryan’s stag do. Bryan, 28, and five of the group had gone to their beds at 4am but Craig and three friends stayed until closing time just after six.

Craig was last seen talking to a girl with long blonde hair a few feet from the door of the club. His friends turned to check he was following and saw a man punch him hard on the side of the head.

As people tried to revive Craig his killer ran off into the crowd. Paramedics battled in vain for almost an hour to save him but he died at the scene.

His death has left a hole in his family’s life, made worse by the fact no-one has ever been charged with his murder.

Antoinette, 44, admits she has since suffered depression. She is close to tears as she clutches a painting of Craig she commissioned after his death. Thankfully, the couple’s love has helped them cope with their anguish.

Antoinette said: “If I didn’t have Ian I wouldn’t be here. We rely on each other for strength.”

Doctors said the compression on Ian’s spine may have been caused by an earlier injury. Surgeons removed seven vertebrae and inserted a metal cage round his spinal cord.

Antoinette said: “We just want closure. We can’t go on like this.”

Former police officer David Swindle, has been enlisted by Craig’s employers Laing O’Rourke to reinvestigate his death.

He has returned to Lloret de Mar in recent weeks to meet with the mayor of the town, Spanish lawyers and police as part of the case.

He is now looking to speak to who stayed in the Hotel Maria del Mar which has balconies overlooking the crime scene.

He is looking for a group of French people who checked out of a hotel earlier than expected the day Craig was killed and Spanish people who may have been involved in disturbances near where Craig was killed.

For more information go to craigmallon.com.