• Mother of young man says her son’s heart is still being held in Spain after his death
• Spanish investigation classified the incident as a "criminal death"

A mother from Merseyside, UK, said that her 19-year-old son was buried without his heart being returned to her, following his death on the Spanish island of Tenerife, adding that she feels the Spanish authorities "stole it."

Harry Begg, from Kirkby, died from fatal head injuries sustained in an alleged targeted hit-and-run on December 1.

His mother, Nicola Gardner, explained that she was informed just hours before her son’s funeral in the Anfield area on January 6 that the Spanish authorities would be keeping his heart.

Gardner, 50, said: "They stole his heart. It was the biggest part of him and it is still preserved in a fridge in Tenerife."

Nicola described Harry as "the kindest, most loving, and most sensitive person you could ever meet; if he loved you, he loved you with everything he had."

She added: "I just can't understand why his heart is there. How can they be so inhumane? He’s my child—don’t they have families?"

Harry had been riding an electric bike in the Arona area, where he had lived for 18 months, when he was struck by a driver who did not stop.

Nicola said she had to apply for an emergency passport and pay £5,000—which she had to borrow—to bring Harry’s body back to the UK.

It took more than a week before she was able to see him after his death, and the body was repatriated just before New Year’s Eve.

She added that the funeral was delayed by two days due to issues obtaining paperwork from the Spanish authorities, and that the Spanish investigator called her the day before the funeral to inform her that they were still holding his heart. When the news upset her, the investigator suggested ending the call and indicated he would call back once she had “calmed down.”

She said: "They still haven’t called me back."

Nicola confirmed: "I didn’t feel any peace at the funeral. The biggest part of him was still in Tenerife."

She added that she is determined to have her son’s heart returned and to work to ensure that no other family has to face the same ordeal.

She said: "The only thing that keeps me going is anger. I can’t grieve properly, I can’t cry for my son, and I can’t even look at a picture of him because it makes my anger explode. They stole my son’s heart. Where is the humanity? This is unforgivable. How many other families has this happened to without them even knowing?"

Nicola, who lives in the Kensington area of Liverpool, added that the Spanish police launched a criminal investigation into Harry’s death, classifying the case as a “criminal death.”

A Spanish investigator explained that Harry’s heart “is being preserved for further testing while the investigation progresses.”