Your Stories

It’s a cold Sunday night in Walsall. The streets are quiet, and all the shops are in darkness, except for one. On the corner of Lichfield Road, Underground Tattoo Studio is buzzing with people, and with the whirr of tattoo machines.

Men and women of all ages are queuing up for their turn under the needle and food is laid out for everyone to share.

Richard fills in a nautical star

A young man lies red faced on a bench behind the counter, gritting his teeth as tattoo artist Jase outlines a British bulldog on his calf. On the other side of the studio, Richard fills in a nautical star on the back of someone’s hand.

A new life

Regular customers mingle with first timers, and squeamish onlookers flip through the flash sheets of pre designed tattoos that hang in one corner. The atmosphere is jolly, everyone seems to know each other, and one name is on everybody’s lips: Danny Hastelow.

Danny’s mother Sue explains that her son had decided to move out to Spain to start a new life: “He’d lost his dad in April 2007, which hit him hard. He got a tax rebate, and off he went. That’s who Danny was- very impulsive.”

Like so many other Brits who settle in Spain for more than just a holiday, Danny found the cheapest way to get there was through a package deal. When he didn’t catch his return flight, his insurance became void.

Danny Hastelow

"Artistic"

Danny never got around to renewing his insurance, instead busying himself with bar work and sign painting for local businesses. Heavily tattooed himself, Danny was “very artistic”.

Deciding to spend Christmas in Spain, he asked a visiting friend to take a photo of him on his phone, and take it home to show friends and family. This is the last existing image of Danny- smiling and tanned in a Magaluf bar.

Weeks later, on January 13th 2008, Danny was murdered in his bed. He had been out celebrating his 26th birthday, and no one is certain of the events leading up to his death. Shortly afterwards, two British men were arrested at a nearby airport. They remain in Spanish custody, awaiting trail.

A terrible journey

The next morning in Walsall, Sue woke up to the awful news. In shock, but functioning on autopilot, she made funeral arrangements and flew out to Magaluf, expecting to return home with her son’s body.

Sue Hastelow and her daughter

Unfortunately, the British Consulate in Spain was unable to give Sue any information, and no one was obliged to help her in any way, although she did get directions to where Danny was buried:

“You’ve just lost your son, and you’ve got to walk round the streets looking for something on a map! The only thing we were told was, “There’s the name of the cemetery they’ll be burying him on Saturday morning at 8.30.”

A year and a day

By the end of a traumatising week, Sue finally saw her son’s body for the first time, moments before he was buried. It seems the judge presiding over the case decreed the body should be buried on Spanish soil, for at least a year and a day.

Over a year later, Danny is still buried in Magaluf, and the Spanish authorities have no plans to release the body. Sue will have to fight for that in the courts – that’s where the tattooathon comes in, as she explains:

Friends and family remember Danny

“I sit here today feeling helpless. I still don’t know what time Danny died, or whether he tried to save himself- I’m completely in the dark. The only way we can apply for information, or get the body back is through solicitors, which cost £100 an hour. That’s what we’re raising the money for.”

Family friends

Sue, along with her daughter, Claire Peters, and a close knit group of friends, has organised a variety of events to raise the £35,000 they will need to pay for the court case, solicitor fees, and bringing Danny’s body home.

The tattooathon was organised by family friends Julie and Mick, who own the tattoo studio where Danny was a regular customer. The event will take the current campaign total to over £10,000.

Claire hopes that the tattooathon will help raise awareness of the difficulties faced by those left behind when a loved one dies overseas.

Tattooist Dan

Their campaign- Justice for Danny- aims to highlight the issue, with help from Support After Murder and Manslaughter Abroad. The London based charity aims to strengthen support for British citizens who lose loved ones on foreign soil.

A brilliant day

Sue and Claire are visibly touched by how many people took part: 

“We set up a Facebook group, and put an ad in the local paper. A lot of regulars heard about it and came along, and there are loads of people who knew Danny.

“It’s turned out a brilliant day- we’ve been busy non stop. So many people came, we couldn’t fit them in until two in the morning!”

flame tattoo detail

Nine hours into the tattooathon, £1,300 has already been raised, and all the remaining slots are booked.

"Big blue eyes"

Sue is wearing a T-shirt printed with the last photo she has of her son, taken on a mobile phone in Magaluf just weeks before he died. Her wrist bears a fresh tattoo- her son’s name, copied from his own writing in a Mother’s Day card:

“Everyone knew Danny for his beautiful smile, and his big blue eyes. When he walked in a room, you knew he’d arrived, and you’d never forget him. He was lovely.”

Sue's tattoo in Danny's handwriting

Sue Hastelow and Claire Peters would like to thank everyone at Underground Tattoo Studio for giving up their time to run the tattooathon, and everyone else involved for their continued support.