Australian rugby league player Liam Hampson’s body was found inside an internal patio which didn’t form part of the “public area” of the Barcelona nightspot where he died following a suspected fall, Spanish police said.
After failing to offer any initial detailed explanation of why workers at the popular nightspot Sala Apolo took more than 30 hours to raise the alarm, regional Mossos d’Esquadra officers elaborated on where the 24-year-old rising NRL star had been located.
The police spokesman said: “It was in an internal patio which was not part of the public area of the nightclub.
“I don’t know how he would have got into that part of the building but he accessed it and from there fell around 10 metres to an interior patio.
“The fact it wasn’t a public area helps to explain why the workers who raised the alarm didn’t do so until Wednesday lunchtime local time."
Earlier a spokesman at Sala Apolo declined to make any comment, saying police had instructed them to say nothing about the tragedy for the time being.
The Redcliffe Dolphins player had last been seen at the venue around 4.30am local time on Tuesday.
Fellow NRL player Alexander ‘AJ’ Brimson appealed in a frantic social media post before the discovery of his friend’s lifeless body: “Missing in Barcelona, Liam Hampson from Australia, last seen at Sala Apolo nightclub leaving at 4.30am, 18/10, wearing the clothes in the photo.
“Hasn’t been able to be contacted and no-one seen him for 24 hours..was travelling with a group and very out of character.”
In their initial comments on Thurday morning local time, the Mossos d’Esquadra confirmed: “The lifeless body of this missing young man was found yesterday.
“We received a call around midday local time from workers at the venue who had found it.
“Officers started working on trying to identify the person and quickly established it was an Australian national who had already been formally reported as missing.
“Everything is pointing at this stage towards the death being accidental and the result of a fall of around 10 metres (32 feet).”
The police spokesman also added in the force’s initial comments: “I don’t have information on when he was reported missing apart from the fact that it was recent.
“I’m not in a position either to give out any more detail on where exactly he fell and whether it was from a window, in an internal corridor or down stairs, simply that it was a fall from a height of around 10 metres (32 feet).
“I can confirm the body was found in an area that forms part of the nightspot but can’t assist at this stage with any more information on exactly where he was found and whether it was in an area open to the public or a private area.”
More information about the tragic discovery began to seep out following the nightclub’s refusal to make any public comment.
A press spokeswoman for Club Apolo said: “We cannot say anything. The Mossos d’Esquadra have told us we can’t say anything until they release an official statement.”
Told the police were already confirming they were treating the death as accidental and linked to a 10-metre fall, but were offering no more information including an explanation about where the fall occurred or why it took more than 30 hours to locate Mr Hampson’s body, she added: “The Mossos d’Esquadra are looking after that, not us.
“We cannot say anything. The police will give you the information and say what has happened.
“Until they say something, we can’t say anything.”
Well-placed sources said they expected the post-mortem to take place in the coming hours.
The results of autopsies are not normally made public in Spain and in this instance will be sent directly to the court probing Mr Hampson’s death.
Court officials could not be reached on Thursday morning Spanish time, but in any case are unlikely to make any formal comment while the routine probe is ongoing.
Police are not expected to be instructed to ramp up their inquiries unless the autopsy results point to any suspicious circumstances surrounding the death.
Tests for the presence of any toxins including alcohol are routinely conducted as part of post-mortems, although extra analyses are sometimes needed in some cases and that involves the intervention of a specialist lab which delays final results by months.
Mr Hampson’s body is said to have lain undiscovered despite hundreds of music lovers flocking to see English gothic metal band Paradise Lost perform the night after he vanished.
Resident DJs Honey Bunny & Bass Bunny were listed as the headline acts for the night he is believed to have died with Spanish band Los Punsetes also due to perform.
Apolo, located in the heart of Barcelona’s famous Parallel Avenue, describes itself as one of the oldest dance halls in Europe and a national and international reference music centre.
More than 13,000 groups and 7,000 DJs and producers have already performed on its stages.
Tributes have flowed for Hampson, who was holidaying with a group that included NRL friends AJ Brimson and Brisbane Broncos stars Jordan Riki and Jesse Arthars,
His dad Brett posted on Facebook : “Waking up to the news no one wants to hear, we are devastated to find out that Liam had an accident and sadly has not survived.
'We are heartbroken to say the least. Liam had a heart of gold and was a much loved son, brother, grandson, uncle and friend. Words can not express our grief.”
His sister Tiarna added in her own tribute: “We are so heartbroken.
“Liam was the best brother I ever could of asked for and made me a better person. We cannot express our grief.
“We cannot thank the boys he was travelling with enough for assisting with his search and making sure his last days were the best of his life.”
Leading Spanish sports daily Marca said of the tragedy: “Liam Hampson dies in strange circumstances.”
