Luke Thomas Rhoden died following a fall from a balcony, but accounts on social he was beaten badly by police at the scene
Luke Thomas Rhoden died following a fall from a balcony, but accounts on social say he was beaten badly by police at the scene Facebook

A British man who died after plummeting from a hotel balcony in Ibiza was given "an absolute pasting" by local police officers before he died from injuries, it was claimed.

Luke Thomas Rhoden, 25, died after falling from a balcony near the Ibiza Rocks club on a party strip in the holiday island.

Tributes were paid to the former junior Wigan Warriors rugby league player on social media, with some alleging Guardia Civil officers -- the local police force -- should be in the frame over his death.

On social media, revellers who said they saw the incident reported a different version of events from the standard account, in which Rhoden was "restrained" while the emergency services tried to administer treatment inside an ambulance.

But unofficial accounts of the incident said Rhoden was mobile following his tumble and was then involved in a heavy struggle with Guardia Civil officers.

According to unconfirmed witness accounts, Rhoden was badly beaten by officers in the minutes before an ambulance arrived at the scene -- not restrained while he was being taken to the ambulance.

One witness claimed Rhoden had been "beaten to death". Another described the actions by Guardia Civil officers to Rhoden as "an absolute pasting".

Writing on Facebook, one occupant of a nearby hotel said: "The guy was tripping on something and had a broken leg from the fall, but in no way in a million years deserved the absolute pasting he got from them. Suddenly, everything went quiet... walked outside to hear a heart rate monitor flat lining with them doing CPR.

"The Gaurdia were moved away and sitting in the ambulance looking very worried. But heard staff say they are treating it as a "legitimate death" [expletive] disgusting. A lot of people tried to help the guy including the Ibiza Rocks staff, but it was too late."

Paying tribute to Rhoden, Wigan Warriors head coach, Shaun Wane said he was "devastated" by his death.

Wane told Manchester Evening News: "I almost crashed my car I was so shocked and taken aback because I knew him well and he was great lad. It's a real tragedy."

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We can confirm the death of a British national in Ibiza on 3 September.

"We are providing consular assistance to the family at this difficult time."