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Friends speak over Majorca attack

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A teenager is still in a coma after he was attacked during a night out in Majorca. 16-year-old Alex Hughes from Cardiff was hit over the head with a bottle as he left a nightclub 10 days ago. He was on holiday with a couple of his friends. They've all stayed on the island, visiting him every day in the hope he'll wake up. Reporter Debbie Randle went to the resort of Port d'Andratx to meet them.

Image source, AFP
Image caption,

Majorca is a popular holiday destination for British tourists

They describe it as the worst 10 days of their lives.

Sitting outside a bar, in the sunshine, looking out to sea is probably what some of them were looking forward to. But now they don't even notice it.

They're stuck in limbo, waiting patiently for their friend to wake up from his coma and come to join them so they can all start to enjoy their holiday.

Josh is feeling the worst of it. He's Alex's friend and the pair were sharing an apartment.

He was also there the night Alex was attacked.

He describes what happened. He said: "The first nights were the best of my life. Then that happened to Al... it just changed it all."

On that night Alex, Josh and their other friend Harry had been at the same bar we're all sitting at now.

They'd met a few girls and decided to go with them to the nightclub up the road.

Josh said: "It was really crowded in there and as we were accidentally bumping into these kids they were like pushing us off and shoving us."

Vigil

When it all started to get a bit nasty, they all decided to leave.

But once they got outside, Josh says the teenagers from the club confronted them.

"Four of them came running up to us, two went over to Alex and two went over to me.

"As Al turned around to one of them, the other one hit him over the head with a bottle."

To start with it looked like Alex was OK. But as the local lads started to follow them they panicked and tried to jump over a fence into the car park of their apartments.

Josh says it was then clear there was something wrong.

He said: "He was lying over the fence, just like hanging off it.

"So I walked over and brought him off the fence and as I put him on the floor he was like, 'I'm losing blood, I'm concussed, I think I'm dying'. Then he went to sleep."

Alex hasn't woken up since. He'd suffered a brain haemorrhage and was rushed to hospital.

He's been in a coma. His condition is decribed as critical but stable.

They may all still be in Majorca, but since that night their holiday has been over.

Alex's parents have flown over and been at his bedside. Josh has been visiting Alex up to twice a day, speaking to him and trying to get him to wake up.

Three Spanish teenagers have been questioned over the attack and are now in their parents' custody at home while a judge decides what to do next.