BRIT Ben Ross’s relieved mum has revealed how the money donated to her family will be spent after the student was found safe in Majorca.
The trainee barrister, 26, had vanished 12 days ago from the island’s capital Palma, sparking a desperate bid to find him.
The 26-year-old was found “dehydrated and exhausted” at the British Consulate in Palma as he was reunited with mum Felix on Monday.
More than 150 people had donated £3,800 on Ben’s GoFundMe page to help his desperate mum in her search to find him
Now that Ben has been found alive, his family have revealed they will give all the donations to the Andy’s Man Club – a suicide prevention charity that works to improve men’s mental health.
In an update on the GoFundMe page set up to help find missing Ben, family friend Carla Speight wrote: “Ben has been FOUND!
“Today Ben was at the British Consulate in Palma Majorca and met with Felix who is incredibly relieved at the sight of her son and being able to hug him.
“For now, Felix and her family are requesting some privacy whilst they get Ben back to full strength and home, and they want to extend their thanks to the press, media and public for all their support in finding him.”
“Donations to the GoFundMe that was set up by friends will be donated to Andy’s Man Club once they arrive home over the next week.”
The donations to the fundraiser have now been disabled.
Ben is due to stay in Majorca until he can sort out an emergency passport to get back to the UK with his mum saying he needs to be at “full strength” before they fly home.
The Brit disappeared on July 10 after a series of “unfortunate events”.
A thief dashed off with Ben’s iPad, keys and wallet while he was swimming at a beach on July 6.
His last contact with his mum was a “peculiar” email indicating his mental health declined after being robbed at the beach and then falling out with flatmates.
Mum Felix had gone out to Majorca and started a door-to-door search in a bid to find her boy.
She earlier revealed her son’s struggles in Majorca could have led him to want to isolate himself, hence the shocking disappearance.
The mum said her son battled mental in previous years.
She added: “He started having these issues a couple of years ago and it affected his studies. He was getting ready for his pupillage as he trained to be a barrister but we don’t know how it all started.”
On July 6, Ben set out to get a European work number – and was carrying all his important items including his identification, phone, wallet, iPad and keys to the apartment he was staying in.
After finishing the process, he decided to go to a beach for a swim.
However, upon his return, Ben was shocked to discover his bag with all his possessions – including his phone – had been stolen.
The trainee barrister reported the theft to cops, but by the time he was done it was late at night and without the aid of navigation on his phone, he got lost.
While he managed to find his way back to his apartment, despite knocking on the door several times, his flatmates didn’t let him in.
A distressed Ben then broke his way in, which sparked a row with his flatmates over the door damage.
Cops were allegedly called to the flat but decided Ben had no criminal case to answer because he’d offered to pay for the damage he inflicted by forcing his way in.
Felix says his flatmates then made clear their intentions to kick him out.
The mum then received a distressed email claiming to be from Ben from a new address.
The cryptic email told her what had happened and that he was not interested in what happened next to him, which left Felix seriously concerned for her son.
Ben was found by Felix at the British Consulate in Majorca’s capital of Palma after almost two weeks but his exact movements are still unclear.
No other details have been released yet other than that Ben was suffering from dehydration and exhaustion.
This has led to questions over where the Brit was actually found or if he managed to walk back to the consulate on his own.
Emergency services, friends, and family had all been searching for Ben out on the holiday island in the sweltering 32C heat but found no trace of him.
Ben was first reported missing by his mum on July 13 as she sparked a mammoth search for the Brit after several desperate appeals.
Felix put out social media appeals as well as attempting to get the police involved in the search.
The mother claims she rang her local police in Wigan and Leigh at least twice a day after first telling them Ben was missing but alleges no one called her back for four days.
Felix then went to the station and refused to leave until an officer took a formal statement from her.
She later said the complaint was closed without any contact between Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and herself.
The devastated mum slammed local cops before she jetted off as she accused them of not taking her concerns seriously.
She was told by the GMP that details about the case would be passed on to Interpol and the British consulate in Spain.
However, upon reaching Majorca, she was informed that Interpol had not yet received a report from the local cops in the UK.
She claims no Spanish cops had started to look for her missing son, despite reports suggesting a Spanish homicide unit was previously dispatched to investigate Ben’s disappearance.
Felix added: “It doesn’t feel real. I’ve followed the procedure that’s on the Gov website, and I’ve begged them for help to get nowhere.
“I’m so worried about him right now, if they had done what they were supposed to in the beginning there’s a chance we could have found him by now.
“But to fob this off without justification is incredibly distressing. I can’t really put it into words about how I’m feeling.”
A spokesperson for the GMP told The Sun: “All details have been passed to Spanish authorities via Interpol referral form which the informant is aware of.
“If the missing person re-enters the UK it will flag up and we will be made aware.”
Felix flew out to Palma on July 20 on her own accord as she was seen walking through the capital knocking on hundreds of doors – investigating by herself.
After reaching the Spanish hotspot, she said: “I’ve started the search myself. I’m going to everywhere that’s open today. Churches, the docks, anywhere that’s open.”
Despite the concerns, Felix praised the British consulate for their help but even they told the family they couldn’t take action until Interpol got involved.
For Interpol to be called on, the local cops need to commence an investigation – meaning the search is at a standstill until they do.
A source close to the mum said: “Despite following the protocol on the Home Office’s website, which points family members to report missing people abroad to local police in the UK so they can activate Interpol protocols, Leigh and Wigan Police have failed to do so on several occasions. Felix had been calling them daily.”
It is still unclear if Spanish cops were in contact with Felix throughout the investigation.
The Sun has reached out to Interpol for comment.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support.
The following are free to contact and confidential:
Mind, www.mind.org, provide information about types of mental health problems and where to get help for them. Email info@mind.org.uk or call the infoline on 0300 123 3393 (UK landline calls are charged at local rates, and charges from mobile phones will vary).
YoungMinds run a free, confidential parents helpline on 0808 802 5544 for parents or carers worried about how a child or young person is feeling or behaving. The website has a chat option too.
Rethink Mental Illness, www.rethink.org, gives advice and information service offers practical advice on a wide range of topics such as The Mental Health Act, social care, welfare benefits, and carers rights. Use its website or call 0300 5000 927 (calls are charged at your local rate).
Heads Together, www.headstogether.org.uk, is the a mental health initiative spearheaded by The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales.
