Walter Finch
THE devastated girlfriend of a Swedish restaurant owner who was dragged to his death during a brutal robbery is now desperately trying to raise funds to pay his staff’s wages.
Christian Pikulak, 30, died on Monday after being dragged several metres under a car when thieves snatched his mobile phone in the centre of Torrevieja on October 3.
Now his heartbroken partner Vivienne Fondo faces the agonising task of repatriating his body to Sweden while keeping his Smashed Burger restaurant’s employees paid and settling mounting business debts.
“My dear boyfriend Christian Pikulak was subjected to a brutal robbery in the centre of Torrevieja,” she wrote in an emotional social media appeal.
“He was dragged several metres by a car when the perpetrators stole his mobile phone – and his life could not be saved.”
The tragedy unfolded at around 4am on Calle Pedro Lorca when Christian and Vivienne were approached by a group of youths in a car asking for directions.
When the Swedish entrepreneur pulled out his phone to help, one of the occupants suddenly snatched it from his hands.
As Christian desperately tried to resist, he was dragged several metres along the street by the fleeing vehicle while his girlfriend watched in horror.
He spent several days fighting for his life in a coma at Elche Hospital before passing away on October 7.
Now Vivienne is in Spain with Christian’s mother, overwhelmed by the financial burden of bringing him home, paying his restaurant staff, and covering legal costs for what police are treating as a murder investigation.
“The costs of transport home and all the administrative work far exceed what we can handle,” she explained.
“Unfortunately the insurance does not cover anything.”
The funds are urgently needed to transport Christian’s body back to Sweden for a dignified funeral, pay wages to Smashed Burger employees, settle business bills including electricity, water and rent, and cover mounting legal fees.
Christian had lived on Spain’s Costa Blanca for three years, where he built his business and established the popular Smashed Burger restaurant.
Vivienne described him as ‘a man full of life, dreams and love for his family, friends and his work.’
The Policia Judicial is investigating the incident as murder, with officers tracing the signal from the stolen iPhone to Alicante city.
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