Blood was found onboard missing UK sailor's boat

Splatters of blood were found onboard the boat of a sailor who went missing in Gran Canaria, the BBC can reveal.

Spanish police have said James "Jemsie" Nunan, from Colchester, Essex, got drunk and fell overboard after last being seen in August.

But the family of the 34-year-old, who was on a round-the-world trip, have insisted a third party was involved.

His half-sister, Nikita Goddard, said: "I just feel like nobody is helping and it's extremely, extremely frustrating."

Nunan, who had links to Reading, worked as a bricklayer to fund his once-in-a-lifetime trip, which he hoped would land him in countries including Brazil.

His boat was found by police on 25 August, 100 miles (160km) from his last location in Las Palmas six days earlier.

It has since emerged the boat had blood splatters on a toilet and control lever onboard.

Electronic devices belonging to Nunan had also been fire-damaged and there were cuts, suspected to be from a serrated knife, to the sail.

"There is enough evidence, we believe as a family, to say that a third party was almost certainly involved," said Goddard.

"We don't believe he got drunk, fell in the water and drowned."

She accepted Nunan was drunk when he was last seen on 19 August, but said his boat did not set sail until a day later.

Goddard has accused police in Gran Canaria of not pursuing credible lines of inquiry and halting its investigation.

The half-sister, from Lincoln, said she was never told about the blood until she was sent a copy of a police report.

She continued: "The Guardia Civil just don't seem to have any interest and I think that's partly because he's a lone British sailor.

"Perhaps they thought it would've been easier to hope nobody cared."

Goddard said she wanted English police to take over the investigation.

Police in Gran Canaria told the BBC officers were pursuing a prosecution and could not comment while this was ongoing.

In the hours before he vanished, Nunan had his backpack stolen from outside a kebab shop, but retained his passport as it was being worn around his neck.

However, he later reported his passport missing at a police station and a copy of this report was found on the boat.

His dog, Thumbelina, was also recovered alive on the boat and has been reunited with the family.

Goddard said: "We just don't want to give up hope in case he is alive somewhere."

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