Two Birmingham Police Officers Accidentally Find Missing England Fan in Barcelona

What began as an ordinary holiday in Spain for two Birmingham police officers ended with an extraordinary reunion — when they realised the man they had been chatting with in a Barcelona bar was the England fan at the centre of an international missing-person search.

PC Lamb and PC Somers, both from West Midlands Police, were enjoying time off in Barcelona when they struck up a conversation with a man known as “Little Mick.” At the time, neither officer realised that the man had been reported missing by his worried family in Leeds.

The missing man was Michael Hewitt, a 65-year-old Leeds United supporter who had been travelling to Boston to watch England play Ghana at the World Cup.

Officers Recognise the Missing Man

The officers only made the connection after returning to their own lives and seeing social media posts about the search for Hewitt.

They realised that the man they had met in the Barcelona bar matched the description of the missing England fan.

PC Lamb and PC Somers immediately contacted local authorities and worked with police in Barcelona, passing on the information they had gathered in the hope of helping bring Hewitt back together with his family.

It soon became clear why Hewitt had apparently disappeared without a trace: he had lost his phone and was completely unaware that his family, police and others were searching for him.

The loss of the phone also left him unable to access the information he needed for his onward journey.

He Never Realised Anyone Was Looking for Him

Hewitt had left Leeds for Boston via Barcelona as he travelled to the World Cup. His family last heard from him while he was in Barcelona, after which his phone stopped working and he disappeared from social media.

The lack of contact prompted a major search that lasted 10 days.

But Hewitt was still in Barcelona.

After losing his phone, he was unable to access his flight tickets for the journey to the United States, meaning he remained in the Spanish city rather than continuing to Boston.

The situation became even more extraordinary because he had no way of seeing the growing media coverage about his disappearance.

While his family feared they had no idea where he was, Hewitt was unaware that people were urgently trying to locate him.

Family Finally Gets the News They Were Hoping For

The discovery brought enormous relief to Hewitt’s family.

His brother Gary said “Little Mick” was safe and well in Barcelona and had been “blissfully unaware” that people around the world were searching for him.

For the family, the circumstances surrounding his disappearance were difficult to comprehend, but they were simply relieved that the ordeal had ended safely.

“As a family, we desperately wanted an embarrassingly simple but happy ending to this horrendous episode and we now have that,” Gary said.

Hewitt is a retired trade union official and a devoted Leeds United fan. His disappearance had attracted widespread attention after he seemingly vanished while travelling to the United States for the World Cup.

Police Praise Officers for Going Above and Beyond

The actions of PC Lamb and PC Somers have since been praised by West Midlands Police.

Birmingham Police Chief Inspector Sean Corrigan said the officers had demonstrated the force’s values by acting quickly to assist someone who could potentially have been vulnerable, despite being away from work themselves.

He said their ability to recognise the man they had spoken to, followed by their decision to immediately contact Spanish authorities, helped bring the international search to an end.

“While the man involved may have just been enjoying a holiday himself, we commend our officers for interrupting theirs and going above and beyond,” Chief Inspector Corrigan said.

What had initially appeared to be a chance encounter between two holidaymakers in Barcelona ultimately provided the breakthrough needed to locate a missing man and bring an anxious 10-day search to a safe conclusion.