THE celebrity uncle of a young man who died in Mexico after being beaten up in Texas said he fears his nephew's attackers may never be brought to justice.

Singer David Van Day, of the former pop duo Dollar, said his nephew was a "brave" and "bright" man whose death abroad left his parents feeling "helpless".

On Tuesday, The Argus reported how the parents of George Van Day had gone to Mexico to try and get into the United States, having been denied a visa due to a minor criminal conviction.

The 26-year-old, who had Asperger's Syndrome, appears to have made it across the border but was beaten up in El Paso, Texas, triggering a stroke from which he died ten days later in hospital.

His uncle, who was a household name in the 1980s, said: "Hopefully they [authorities] will get to the bottom of it, but I suppose I fear that they won't.

"Not just because of the distance but I suppose it depends what they have out there and what it means for them to get this cleared up.

"I just hope that they do take it seriously and they do keep looking into it. I think Michael and Denise [his parents] feel helpless."

George was his brother's son and David remembered seeing him a few weeks before he went abroad, having told his parents he was going to Paris.

He said: "He was bright and if he liked something he would get really involved in it. He would be able to tell you all the capitals of the world.

"He was very entertaining and quite amusing. He would always have the last word. He was quite brave to go there, perhaps naive. His family will miss him greatly."

George told doctors in El Paso on June 17 that he had been punched and kicked by five men, but nothing else is known about his attackers.

He collapsed hours after being discharged from hospital, on the Mexican side of the international bridge, and died on June 27 his inquest last week heard.

David Van Day also said it was important to improve people's understanding of Asperger's Syndrome, which can make people appear socially awkward.

He said: "It can make people a bit uncomfortable sometimes when they first meet someone with Asperger's. It would be good if we could make people better at understanding Asperger's."