The family of a Belfast man missing in Spain have endured Christmas heartache as they await news in the search for the father-of-two.
John Hardy, also known as John George, failed to get on a plane home last Wednesday December 18, and there has been no contact with the 37-year-old since he spoke with his sister on December 14.
John had travelled to Alicante to visit friends, and it is believed he was due to drive to the resort of Benidorm to meet other friends around the time he was last in contact with loved ones.
The PSNI said they received a missing person’s report in relation to John, adding: “Enquiries are ongoing in conjunction with our international policing partners.”
His family have spoken of their ongoing worry, and his sister Courtney George has said her brother would never have gone two days without contacting her.
Following his disappearance, she said of her brother’s children: “They love their daddy. All they want for Christmas is their dad to come home.”
She and other relatives shared a Christmas Eve social media post about her brother and their ongoing concern for his safety.
“Whilst you organise your presents, we are organising search parties,” the post stated.
“Whilst you wrap you presents, we wrap our arms around each other in grief. Whilst your children wait for news of Santa, our John’s sons wait for news of their Daddy.
“Every minute of the day frozen in anxious anticipation, waiting for any news that will bring him home to us and end this nightmare.”
The post added: “Please keep sharing his face and name far and wide - for us, for his family. We need answers. We need him home. We need this living nightmare to end.”
In a previous post, Ms George said: “There will be no Christmas for my family. The only thing we are focused on is getting our loved one back.”
The family shared a video taken by John’s father Billy in Spain on Christmas Day, where he took part in a search for clues about his son’s whereabouts.
“This is a needle in a haystack,” he said.
“I need locals to come help us find our son before it’s too late. I just need him home. Please, somebody tell us where he is.”
Information shared about John in the hope that someone will recognise him includes he has a number of tattoos, including a half-sleeve on his right arm and a panther on his torso.
A GoFundMe page has been set up by his family in order to travel to Spain and take part in searches for his whereabouts.
As of Christmas Day, just over £13,000 has been raised out of a £16,000 target.
