Two young boys are pleading with Santa to bring their father home after he disappeared while on holiday in Benidorm, just days before he was due to return for Christmas. John Hardy, 37, was reported missing on Wednesday (December 18) when he failed to catch his flight back to Belfast, Northern Ireland, where he was set to spend the festive period with his two sons, aged 13 and six.
Mr Hardy had been staying at a friend’s house in Alicante, Spain, before heading to Benidorm to meet friends. He has not been seen or heard from since.
His sister, Courtney George, who is extremely worried, is desperate for any information. She revealed that her brother, who is currently unemployed, would never go more than 48 hours without contacting her, but she has not heard from him in nine days,” reports Hull Live.
Ms George, a pharmacy assistant, had planned to host her brother for Christmas dinner and said: “all his kids want for Christmas is for him to come home”. With over £8,900 raised through GoFundMe, Courtney expressed her despair, saying she feels like ‘setting her tree on fire and running away from this nightmare’.
Courtney added: “I have to have Christmas for my own kids but I would happily set my tree on fire and run away from this nightmare. We’ve lost a family member recently and he was really upset and thought he needed a holiday.
“His youngest is very confused and the 13-year-old has seen everything on social media and is very distressed. They love their daddy. All they want for Christmas is their dad to come home. I haven’t eaten in five days and have been physically sick because it’s been nine days without contact. My brother would never go two days without speaking to me.
“He was meant to be coming to my house for Christmas dinner and we had our plans made. John is missing from Alicante to Benidorm so we need a search party out there to look for him.
“It’s family time so nobody will be looking for our family when they want to spend it with their own. It’s very urgent because places close and people go on holiday. We already know that we won’t have John for Christmas.”
Courtney, a mother of two, expressed her gratitude for the overwhelming support received through GoFundMe from both Belfast and beyond. To contribute to her GoFundMe, follow this link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/ktkbat-get-john-home.
A spokesperson for the Police Service of Northern Ireland stated: “The Police Service of Northern Ireland received a report on Wednesday, 18th December that a 37 year old man from Belfast, holidaying in Spain, was believed to be missing. Enquiries are ongoing in conjunction with our international policing partners.”