20 Mar, 2018 @ 11:03
1 min read

Young British expat dies after falling from balcony during St Patrick’s Day celebrations in Spain

pjimage
TRAGIC: James Walton

A YOUNG British expat has died in Spain after falling from a balcony during St Patrick’s Day celebrations. 

James Walton was partying with friends in a fourth-floor flat on Sunday morning when he is said to have lost his balance and plunged head-first onto the pavement.

The Sheffield Hallam University student, from London, was on a placement year in Mallorca and was working at the Melia Hotels International as a global loyalty intern.

He was in his third year studying languages with international business in Spanish.

Horrified pedestrians called paramedics after discovering his body at 6am.

Emergency services declared him dead at the scene after desperately trying to resuscitate him for several minutes.

A source told the Sun: “They had been partying in the flat and there were bottles of alcohol lying around.

“It was St Patrick’s Day on Saturday and they had been celebrating.

“The friends confirmed the dead man’s identity after being informed about what had happened.

“Two of the men inside the apartment were living there and another two were visiting.

“They weren’t aware of what had happened until police knocked on their door.”

James, who was raised in Ealing, was due to graduate next year.

Friend and colleague Maja Jaroszewska said: “Our amazing James.

“Words can’t describe how heartbroken we feel to have lost you so soon and so unexpected.

“You are forever in our hearts. We will remember you, doing your amazing dance moves and winning dance offs with strangers.

“Thank you for being in my life.”

A spokesman for Spain’s National Police confirmed there was no foul play.

A spokesman for the UK Foreign Office said: “We are in touch with local police and are providing bereavement advice to his family, following the death of a British man in Majorca.”

A Sheffield Hallam University spokesperson said: “We are extremely saddened to hear that one of our students has tragically died whilst on placement in Spain.

“We are offering support to the student’s family and friends as well as to our staff and students at the University and our deepest sympathies go out to them at this extremely sad and difficult time.”

Laurence Dollimore

Laurence Dollimore is a Spanish-speaking, NCTJ-trained journalist with almost a decade’s worth of experience.
The London native has a BA in International Relations from the University of Leeds and and an MA in the same subject from Queen Mary University London.
He earned his gold star diploma in multimedia journalism at the prestigious News Associates in London in 2016, before immediately joining the Olive Press at their offices on the Costa del Sol.
After a five-year stint, Laurence returned to the UK to work as a senior reporter at the Mail Online, where he remained for two years before coming back to the Olive Press as Digital Editor in 2023.
He continues to work for the biggest newspapers in the UK, who hire him to investigate and report on stories in Spain.
These include the Daily Mail, Telegraph, Mail Online, Mail on Sunday and The Sun and Sun Online.
He has broken world exclusives on everything from the Madeleine McCann case to the anti-tourism movement in Tenerife.

GOT A STORY? Contact newsdesk@theolivepress.es or call +34 951 273 575 Twitter: @olivepress

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

spain rugby
Previous Story

Romanian referee to be investigated for ‘suspicious Spain v Belgium’ Rugby World Cup qualifier

barcelona e
Next Story

REVEALED: The best tourist destinations in the world – and the UK beats Spain

Latest from Lead

Go toTop

More From The Olive Press