Brit dad-of-two, 23, drowned on his first ‘boys’ holiday’ after ‘being chased into the sea on Greek island by Serbian bouncer hurling rocks at him’
Danny Kelly was only 23 when he disappeared into the sea on the first day of his holiday
A BRITISH dad-of-two drowned on holiday in Zante after being chased into the sea by a bouncer throwing rocks at him, an inquest heard.
Danny Kelly was only 23 when he disappeared into the sea on August 23 last year, the first day of his holiday to the Greek island.
Today one of his best friends told how he saw Danny run "full pelt" into the sea being chased by a larger man before his tragic death.
Martin Spencer, 30, was on holiday with him, along with another friend Robert North, when he died.
He said the other man – believed to be a Serbian bouncer called Nikola Miscevic, 32, - stopped as Danny swam away and "straight away started picking rocks up and throwing them".
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Martin told the court the rocks were "fist size", adding: "He was throwing them hard and a lot."
Danny’s lifeless body was found floating off the coat by a pair of German tourists in a pedalo the next day, an inquest in Bradford, West Yorks., was told.
Fabricator Danny, of Haworth, West Yorks., leaves behind his partner Lauren Stevenson, 21, and their two daughters, Nora, now two, and Ivy.
Ivy, who will be one in November, has never met her dad.
Bradford Coroner's Court, West Yorks., heard today that the three mates had landed in Greece on the afternoon of the August 23 and spent some time drinking and enjoying the pool before heading to the Cameo Island Club for the White Party.
Giving evidence at the inquest, Martin told how they arrived at the party at around 7pm and were initially together in the club before splitting up.
At around 10.30pm he began he was going to the toilet and he found Danny who told him "we have to go".
Martin said he would meet Danny at the steps at the front of the club after he had collected Robert.
But after having no luck finding Robert, Martin left the club and realised Danny wasn't at the steps, so he began walking across the rope bridge to the mainland.
As he was doing this, he told the inquest, he saw Danny running from the opposite direction towards the sea pursued by a larger man.
This man, the court heard, was a Serbian bouncer called Nikola Miscevic, 32, who was allegedly socialising at the White Party.
Martin told the court it was very dark but he didn't believe any of the rocks hit his friend.
He said the man on the beach was screaming at Danny, he couldn't tell what language, and he heard Danny say from the water "I haven't done anything".
He said he heard Danny say this when he went behind a boulder to avoid the rocks - soon after this he went missing.
By this point Martin was down on the beach and had taken out his mobile phone and began filming what was happening.
He told the inquest: "This guy is a pretty big guy and I thought if I was filming him he would stop."
According to Martin, he did stop but then chased him to the end of the jetty.
"He grabbed hold of me, punched me to the back of the head a couple of times, threw me to the floor and snatched the phone out of my hand," he added.
It was while the man was allegedly going through his phone that Martin made his escape but there was still no sign of Danny.
Martin immediately went to the police but they couldn't find his friend.
Danny's body was found the next day around 3pm.
It was after that, the police called for security staff from the Cameo Island Club to come down to the station.
Martin said he identified Miscevic, who admitted he was the man involved and gave Danny back his phone, but it didn't work.
In a heartfelt statement read out at Bradford Coroners' Court today mum Colette Kelly said: "Danny was a kind and considerate young man, he lived life to the full with a young family to love and support."
"Danny had his whole life in front of him, which was cruelly taken from him without any regard."
Speaking about life after Danny's death, Colette said in her statement: "Waiting for justice, seeing to it that my son's killer is brought to justice because I promised my son that is exactly what I would do, while lowering his body into the ground."
The inquest heard that Miscevic and some associated from the club gave a different account of what happened.
They say Danny leapt off the second floor of the club into the sea of his own accord, then when staff took the boat out to pick him up he was brought into the boat but jumped out again.
They said when the finally got him to shore he ran to the end of the jetty and jumped back in the sea again, and that's when they left him.
Miscevic told police he threw a few pebbles near to Danny as he seemed confused and he was trying to get his attention to come back.
Miscevic was convicted for assault and theft and got a suspended sentence.
But, Martin told the inquest in Bradford, he wasn't there, as Miscevic had left power of attorney and was convicted in his absence.
Danny's cause of death was given as drowning.
The inquest was adjourned after it heard the Greek public prosecutor has now re-opened Danny's case and they are in the process of re-interviewing the witnesses.
The inquest has been adjourned until November.
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