The devastated family of murdered Belfast father-of-two John George have been hit by a new wave of cruelty after vile online trolls allegedly sent disturbing threats about his body and remains.
John, 37, travelled to the Costa Blanca in December 2024 and was last known to have spoken to relatives on 14 December while in the Torrevieja area. Alarm bells were raised when he failed to board his flight home days later, sparking a desperate search by family, volunteers and authorities.
Weeks later, in January 2025, his body was found in a rural area near Rojales, south of Alicante. A murder investigation was launched after post-mortem findings indicated he had been stabbed and then shot.
But as his family continued their public fight for justice, they were reportedly subjected to horrific abuse from an online troll. The messages are said to have included sick comments about exhuming John’s body and hiding his remains — remarks that the family believe were designed to cause maximum pain.
For relatives already living through the agony of his disappearance, the search in Spain, the discovery of his body and the ongoing international murder probe, the trolling has been described as another cruel blow.
John’s family have refused to be silenced. Despite the abuse, they have continued to demand answers and keep pressure on the authorities as Spanish police pursue the investigation.
His father, Billy George, has been among those publicly campaigning for justice, helping to keep John’s case in the spotlight.
Hundreds attended John’s funeral in Belfast after his remains were returned to Ireland, with the family vowing not to stop until those responsible are brought before the courts.
What began as a missing person search has become a nightmare of grief, murder, intimidation and online hatred — but John George’s family remain determined that no troll, threat or cowardly message will stop their pursuit of justice.
Currently awaiting trial over John George’s killing is Johnny Smyth, also known in reports as Jonny Smyth or Jonathan Alan Smyth, from Belfast/Newtownabbey. It is understood that he is being held in a jail local to Alicante.
Smyth was detained in Braga, Portugal, in March 2025 on a warrant connected to the murder investigation. He was later extradited to Spain, where detectives are currently pursuing the case.
However, Smyth’s legal position has shifted repeatedly in recent months.
In December 2025, he was released from Villena prison after posting €100,000 bail, following approval from a Torrevieja court.
He was then reportedly arrested again in March 2026, alongside his wife, after police allegedly discovered firearms including a 9mm pistol, a disassembled revolver and a sawn-off shotgun. Both were later said to have been released after that separate weapons arrest.
However, in April 2026, a Torrevieja judge revoked Smyth’s bail and ordered him back to prison, where he is expected to remain while the preliminary murder investigation continues.
Although he has denied killing John George, Smyth is understood to remain the surviving main suspect after another key figure in the investigation, Czech national Michal Maly, was shot dead in Punta Prima in March. It is thought that Smyth was then recalled to jail for his own protection.
As the case moves through the Spanish legal system, the George family continue to wait for justice — while also enduring the added torment of online abuse and sick threats from trolls.
