The anguished brother of a Forfar man who has gone missing in Germany has made an emotional appeal for him to come home.
Stuart Hicks, 37, urged 32-year-old Gareth to send a sign to let his family know if he is in trouble, pledging they will do everything they can to protect him.
The former Angus Council welfare rights advocate is understood to have been with friends at Blitz Nightclub in Munich on February 22 before he left alone unexpectedly.
Gareth has not been seen or heard since he posted a picture on Facebook captioned “modern slave” in the early hours of the following morning.
He then commented on the post saying: “Get out of jail free”.
The family think the picture might have been taken in a bus station.
Stuart, who lives in Lincoln, described his brother as a kind, caring and gentle soul who is extremely intelligent.
He broke down as he told how Gareth “would give you the shirt off his back, even in a blizzard”.
“As of right now we have no information as to the whereabouts of Gareth,” said Stuart.
“Somebody must have seen him.
“He speaks very little German, even though he is living there.
“I’m also appealing to Gareth to get in touch.”
Speaking directly to his brother, he said: “Your whole family is looking for you, and your friends.
“We’re all really worried.
“If you feel that you are unsafe in any way please just send a sign – we can protect you.
“We’re here, we love you and we just want you home.
“Just send any sign whatsoever.”
The Lucie Blackman Trust is assisting the family. Its chief executive Matthew Searle also urged anyone with information to come forward.
He said: “Munich is a busy, popular city and a huge amount of people would have been out on that Saturday night.
“Were you? Did you go to Blitz that night? Have you seen Gareth since that night?
“Please come forward with any information, no matter how small it seems. It could be the vital intelligence we need to bring Gareth safely home to his family.”
Mr Searle said earlier reports that Gareth may have headed to Amsterdam appear to have been unfounded.
The charity said he could be “anywhere in mainland Europe” and has appealed for divers to help with search efforts in Munich. Mr Searle said the search area may be expanded in future.
The family have also created a donations page on Facebook to raise money for travel expenses to assist with the ongoing investigation.
Anyone with information can contact the Lucie Blackman Trust at ops@lbtrust.org, WhatsApp on 07545 826407 or phone 01983 718802.
