A KENT woman has spoken of the agonising moment Spanish doctors asked for permission to turn off her teenage son's life support machine soon after he was struck by a car near Malaga. Philomena Turner and her family had flown out to Spain after her son, Mark, had been seriously injured during a holiday with friends.

They kept a bedside vigil for more than 30 hours until doctors told them 18-year-old Mark had no chance of survival and turned off his life support machine.

Mrs Turner, of Grassmere Grove, Frindsbury, near Strood, said: "We are all devastated. When we were sat with him in the hospital I felt sick with shock. We all just felt ill and in a state of total despair. After an hour of talking we made the decision to donate his organs so that he could save the lives of other people.

"He was just beginning to spread his wings and had his whole life in front of him. Mark was an exceptional person. He was the baby of the family and loved by everyone he met."

Mark, a locksmith at Johnstones in Rochester High Street, had been taking a well-earned break with three friends in a resort outside Malaga. He had looked the wrong way while crossing a road and walked straight into the path of a car. He suffered massive brain injuries and never regained consciousness.

Mark had worked as a locksmith for two years after being inspired by a character in the BBC1 documentary Paddington Green. His mother said: "He loved being a locksmith and judging by the cards we have received, his customers admired him. We would like to thank everyone, from customers to old schoolteachers, who have been so kind and supportive since his death."