A MAN from Kent who died in Spain was left on a mortuary slab for five weeks before his family was told of his death.

David Gorman, 43, died of a suspected heart attack on Christmas Eve but members of his family, who live in the villages of Sturry and Hersden, near Canterbury, have only just learnt of his death.

Although the former pupil at St Anselm’s at Canterbury was found with his passport in his pocket, Spanish authorities did not formally identify him.

It was only after inquiries by his brother Charlie, with whom Mr Gorman had gone to work with in southern Spain, that it was discovered he had died.

The family has had to fly his body back their own expense at a cost of £3,000.

Mr Gorman's mother Ivy, 68, who lives in Hersden, said: “I just want my son back. This has been a nightmare.”

A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: “We are establishing from the Spanish authorities why the British Consulate in Malaga was not notified of the death."

FULL STORY IN THIS WEEK'S KENTISH GAZETTE