Greek police are to charge a suspect over the death of British mother Jean Hanlon, who was found dead on a beach in Crete 15 years ago after sending a text message to a friend saying ‘HELP’

The heartbroken son of Jean Hanlon, who died under suspicious circumstances in Crete fifteen years ago, expects a main suspect to be charged by Greek police today.

Michael Porter, who has always maintained his mother was murdered, said the development would be a “major turning point” in his campaign for justice.

He said he was “disgusted” that it had taken so many years to get to this point and said that “a lot depended on this.”

The 39-year-old said the family could finally put an end to the long-running saga after hiring a private investigator to help with the case.

The PI discovered a potential suspect and shared the discovery with the police.

Mr Porter said: “We are in the best position we have ever been in our lives. This is a huge turning point, something we have never seen before.”

The investigator, Haris Veramon, compiled a 29-page dossier on Ms Hanlon’s last movements after she mentioned in her diary a man she wanted to meet that evening.

She went missing in 2009 after moving to the holiday island from Dumfries to work in the coastal town of Kato Gouves.

Jean Hanlon’s sons, from left, Michael, Robert and David, believe she was murdered

Mrs Hanlon (pictured with son Michael) was 40 when she went to Crete on her first holiday abroad and fell in love with the lifestyle and the people

The 53-year-old disappeared after a night out after telling friends she met a man in a cafe with a chilling final text message that simply said: “Help.”

Four days later, her body was found in the water in the port of Heraklion, the island’s capital, with police initially believing she had drowned.

At the request of her distraught family, a second post-mortem examination was carried out, which revealed that she had suffered a broken neck and ribs, a punctured lung and facial injuries and probably died before entering the water.

In 2012, two men were interrogated and subsequently released.

Further investigations in 2019 and 2021 also ended with no answers for the family, although police had acknowledged foul play.

However, detectives reopened the case in June and now Mr Porter and his brothers, Robert, 49, and David, 45, have been assured by Greek police that the suspect will be questioned and possibly charged today.

Mr Porter, from Bromley, said: “It’s strange, I don’t know what it would feel like until it happens.

“If you fought for justice for so long…”

The port of Heraklion where Jean Hanlon’s body was discovered

Jean Hanlon with her young sons in Dumfries

He continued, “It would be a huge achievement to get mom the justice she deserves. It would also be a huge relief in our lives.

“We know Mom is gone and won’t be coming back, but this would give her closure and also give us comfort and release.”

Mr Porter said his family also hired a separate criminologist who provided characteristics of a suspect that matched the private investigator’s investigation.

He added: “There’s a lot to this. It is unusual for cases in Greece to reopen once or twice, let alone four times.

‘There have been suspects before, but never with so much evidence. If they don’t charge this suspect, we have nowhere to go.

“They would probably close the business and that’s not something we want.”

After Greek police announced they were re-investigating the cold case, he said: “You get to a certain point, like now, where the case is reopened when you have all the new-found hope and strength and then you get cut down again.

“The huge difference in this case, however, is that we hired the private investigator who filed and filed this detailed report.”

In March 2009, after sending a text message saying “HELP” to a friend, Ms Hanlon’s body was discovered without hair or eyes in the port of the capital Heraklion. In the photo: Jean Halon with her son Michael

Mr Porter admitted it had been a ‘slow process’ so far, but was grateful to the new magistrate and prosecutor in the case who were ‘incredibly supportive and wanted justice for mum’.

He added: ‘It would be great to show people that work and determination are worth it.

“The amount of people who have told me to give up and live my life, but when you go through something like that, you just can’t.

‘You have to fight for what you believe.’