Brett Dryden, who ran a legal cannabis club called The Dawg House in Mojacar, Almeria, was found dead inside his home in July last year after suffering a four-inch head wound
A mum who believes her son was murdered in Spain is campaigning for a judge to reopen the police probe into his death after being handed their files.
Sandra Adams was left shocked by the contents of the dossier, which includes that police think her son Brett Dryden was the victim of a robbery while preparing to buy and sell marijuana before he was found dead.
It features CCTV images of two men running away from his house with two bags, including one believed to contain more than £7,000 and another thought to be filled with marijuana. And it adds that both men, including one seen “keeping watch” outside Brett’s house, were wearing caps and face coverings.
Despite the findings and it being believed the pair have never been traced by police, the Spanish judge in charge of the case “provisionally” closed it in September after concluding there was nothing to support suspicions Brett was killed or enough evidence to put anyone on trial.
Sandra, 56, handed us the report, which was compiled by the Civil Guard’s homicide unit in Almeria and has not previously been made public, as she believes it is full of holes.
Speaking exclusively to the Mirror, she today claims: “The judge just provisionally closed the case and said he could not have it just sitting open on his desk. The police report shows how poor the investigation was. I believe they have no interest in finding out what happened to Brett.
“They are now ignoring our lawyer who has been requesting an appointment for weeks.”
Brett, 35, who ran a legal cannabis club called The Dawg House in Mojacar, Almeria, was found dead inside his home in July last year after suffering a four-inch head wound.
The police report says he spoke to a close pal by phone at around 2pm on the day he was found dead telling them he had arranged to meet some people who were just about to arrive before hanging up as he said they’d just arrived.
It concludes: “The evidence obtained indicates to us Brett was the victim of a robbery when he was about to conclude a marijuana deal. Those responsible hurriedly abandoned Brett’s home at 2.16pm with the stolen marijuana in Brett’s bag which among others contained money, the keys to his car (which didn’t appear in the property) and his iPhone.”
The report adds that the time Brett’s “phone stopped being active coincides with the time the two people ran down the street from Brett’s house”.
Witnesses told police Brett had planned to meet a man, believed to be Albanian, about a marijuana deal before his death. And that pals had previously warned him to “be careful” about “some young men of Roma descent who had been seen in his club “because they were involved in violence”.
A postmortem in Spain ruled the dad-of-one’s death was due to pulmonary hemorrhage and that his body had tested positive for cocaine and cannabis. Police say there was no sign of a struggle at the scene and that Brett’s bloody footsteps on the floor ended where his body was found.
The report concludes: “In order for a trial to commence, there must be a minimum level of evidence to attribute participation in the events under investigation to an accused person or people. This court believes the necessary circumstances for prosecuting do not exist.”
The police report shows Brett’s missing phone was later used in the nearby town of Vera and officers conducted extensive mobile phone geolocation work, which they say ultimately led to dead ends.
Sources say the court investigation can be reopened if any significant new evidence is presented. But Sandra and other family members of the former Nissan factory worker fear the Spanish authorities are trying to cover up the case to protect tourism.
In April, Sandra, from Chester-le-Street, County Durham, made a heartbreaking journey to the spot where Brett died in a desperate bid for answers. She led more than 20 friends and relatives on a memorial walk wearing T-shirts with a message calling for justice.
Sandra last night added: “I won’t give up. My MP is arranging a meeting with the foreign office.”