Tragic Death of Young Man on First Lads' Holiday in Spain
A 21-year-old man from Wales died just hours after arriving in Benidorm for his first-ever lads' holiday, a coroner's court has heard. Harvey Dominy, from Merthyr Tydfil, was found on the floor of his hotel room in the popular Spanish resort on the evening of July 16, 2024.
Sequence of Events Leading to Tragedy
The inquest at Pontypridd Coroners' Court was told that Mr Dominy had travelled with three friends for what was meant to be a week-long holiday celebration. Shortly after their arrival in Benidorm, the group purchased cocaine and MDMA, which they consumed together on July 16 alongside alcohol.
According to evidence presented at the hearing, Mr Dominy began to feel unwell in the hotel room. Friend Levi Davies testified: "Harvey started to feel unwell. He said he felt sick and then he was sick." After being given water, Mr Dominy reportedly began struggling to breathe before collapsing on the floor.
Friends' Attempts to Help and Communication
The court heard disturbing details about how the situation unfolded. Friend Liam Mason sent a video to a Snapchat group chat showing Mr Dominy slumped in a chair on the balcony. Later that evening, he sent a second video showing Mr Dominy lying on the floor looking "grey" along with a message stating: "He's gone."
Mr Dominy's best friend, Liam Llewellyn, had left the hotel earlier as he was staying in separate accommodation. He received a call saying Mr Dominy was unwell but noted that his friend had been talking normally when he left at 8:30pm and he had "no concerns" at that time.
Emergency Response and Family Concerns
The inquest revealed that the friends were staying on the 15th floor of a hotel with a broken lift when Mr Dominy's condition deteriorated. Mr Davies told the court that the friends did not know the Spanish emergency number, so Mr Mason left the room to find hotel staff to raise the alarm.
Spanish police reports estimated that Mr Dominy died between 9pm and 10:30pm. Emergency services arrived at 10:47pm and confirmed he had "no vital signs." Mr Dominy's family raised concerns about the timeline of events, believing there was a delay in getting medical attention for him.
Medical Findings and Coroner's Conclusion
A post-mortem examination gave the medical cause of death as cardiac respiratory arrest, with the underlying cause being an acute reaction to psychoactive substances. Toxicology reports confirmed the presence of alcohol, cocaine and MDMA in his system.
Coroner Kerrie Burge acknowledged there were "numerous inconsistencies" in the evidence presented by the friends, including which friend sought help from reception and whether CPR was administered. However, she noted these inconsistencies were not surprising given that drugs and alcohol would have "affected their recollection."
She confirmed the medical cause of death as acute reaction to psychoactive substances and cardiac arrest, formally recording Mr Dominy's death as drug-related. The coroner expressed her sincere condolences to the grieving family.
Family's Grief and Brother's Tribute
Mr Dominy's family described him as "extremely loved" and someone with "lots of friends." His brother, McKenzy Lee-Dominy, who is a published author, spoke about the family's double tragedy, having recently lost their mother as well.
"I have a good group of friends but I had to grow up fast when mum died and then my brother dying," he said. "Now I feel allowed to cry and we learned to do that together as a family. Despite facing some horrible tragedies recently, I know that I need to keep writing to keep living."
He added: "It's through my writing that I've discovered the beautiful aspects of grief, and I hope that by sharing my experiences through stories, I can help others understand and process their own emotions."
