The mother of missing ex-rugby player and Celebrity X Factor star Levi Davis has called on police to review new evidence in the case, saying investigators “pulled out the stops” searching for Jay Slater and Madeleine McCann and need to do the same for her son.

The 26-year-old former Bath player was last seen at The Old Irish Pub in Barcelona two years ago, on October 29 2022, and the official investigation into his disappearance by the city’s police force, the Mossos d’Esquadra, became inactive in October the following year.

Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips echoed calls for a “joined up” police review of new evidence, after a 14-month Byline Times investigation which found “serious failings” in the Spanish probe into Mr Davis’ disappearance.

The failings include flaws in a police report that concluded Mr Davis probably drowned at sea under strange circumstances and an “unexplained failure” to recover CCTV footage of the former rugby player in Barcelona, according to the outlet.

Mr Davis’ mother, Julie Davis, said: “We have felt abandoned by the police and I believe Levi was a victim of crime in the UK and in Spain. So many things do not add up.

“I’m determined to fight for the truth.

“They pulled out the stops to find Jay Slater and search and pursue justice for Madeleine McCann. They need to do the same now for Levi.”

“Until his body is found, I will not give up hope,” she added.

Jay, 19, from Oswaldtwistle, went missing in Tenerife in June after attending the NRG music festival with friends. 

His body was found the following month and a post-mortem examination found he died of head injuries, consistent with a fall from height.

Four days before Mr Davis went missing, he posted a video to Instagram claiming his life was in danger because he had spoken out about an alleged plot to blackmail him, with pictures said to have been taken while he was drugged and raped.

The Byline Times investigation, by journalists Dan Evans and Tom Latchem, found evidence around claims of sextortion involving OnlyFans, and identified a “top TV executive” whom Mr Davis alleged was part of a blackmail plot against him.

Mr Evans said: “We’ve looked into every aspect of Levi’s case and we can prove he was groomed online under false pretences.

“We’ve also found four witnesses who connect the same individual to the blackmail claims and two others who say OnlyFans was one intended conduit for Levi to earn money for what he said was a sex-trafficking outfit.

“We have made major new discoveries around the police’s preferred theory that Levi drowned, including establishing that unidentified parties had to be involved if indeed it was him seen shouting for help in a busy shipping lane a mile out to sea, casting doubt on the official finding that there is no evidence of crime.”

A man was reportedly seen in distress one nautical mile out to sea early on the morning of October 30 2022.

Mr Latchem added: “Our objective was to make the case for further investigation into Levi’s disappearance.

“We have been shocked by some glaring holes in the work of the police in Spain. And we’ve also found evidence of Levi being targeted in the UK.

“We now think there are clear grounds for a joined-up review involving police in both countries, starting with the rape and blackmail allegations.”

According to the Byline Times, the Mossos d’Esquadra declined to comment and asked for questions to be directed to the relevant judge, but a courts’ spokesman also declined to comment.

Ms Phillips, who is Ms Davis’ MP, told the outlet in July: “It’s clear that some lines of inquiry connected to the disappearance of Mr Davis have yet to be properly explored.

“All avenues and inquiries should be exhausted both in the United Kingdom and Catalonia. Too many questions remain for the family and friends of Mr Davis and I would urge the police in both jurisdictions to work together to act on any new information.”

Former president of the National Black Police Association and chairman of the Met Black Police Association, Janet Hills, said the UK police need to “reinvestigate this from scratch”.

“There should be questions asked until there is nothing left to be done,” she said.

“There should be a reconstruction to help fill the gaps, to jog people’s memories at a broader level. It needs something similar to the Madeline McCann case, a dedicated unit looking at it.”

Mr Davis appeared on ITV’s Celebrity X Factor in 2019, alongside fellow rugby stars Ben Foden and Thom Evans, in a singing group known as Try Star.

He was also on E4’s Celebs Go Dating in 2020.