A British policewoman who died after a reported accidental fall in Corfu may have unknowingly consumed alcohol laced with methanol, Greek police fear.
The 22-year-old victim, who has not yet been named but worked for Surrey Police, was found with serious head injuries on a side street in Kavos in the early hours of Friday.
She had arrived on the island just hours before the fatal fall, plunging from a height of several meters, reports the Sun.
The Briton had decided to stay out while her colleague returned to their hotel on Friday evening and Greek authorities believe the fatal injuries she sustained outside a bar are consistent with an ‘accidental fall’.
But authorities on the Greek island are now investigating whether the victim unknowingly drank alcohol laced with methanol, which is far more toxic than the ethanol found in regular alcoholic beverages.
Leading coroner Ioannis Aivatidis, who discovered alcohol on the Briton’s breath, told the Sun: “There are questions about what kind of alcohol she consumed. Was it tampered with illegally?
‘Was she so drunk because there was (illegal) methanol in the alcoholic drinks she had consumed? The answer lies in the toxicological tests that will be carried out.’
A British policewoman has died after a reported accidental fall just hours after arriving on holiday on the Greek island of Corfu (file image of Corfu Old Town)
In the hours after the police officer was found dead, authorities in Corfu announced that 28 bars would be closed after they were found to be serving counterfeit alcoholic drinks to customers.
Sources said the closures were ‘more than coincidental’ as they came after raids carried out shortly after the Briton was found dead.
Aivatidis told the Mirror there was no evidence that the British police officer had been assaulted. Instead, he said post-mortem examination showed she had fallen from a height of several metres.
Aivatidis told the Sun: “The findings include fractures in her chest, stomach and a small rupture in the spleen. But it was a traumatic head injury that killed her.’
The coroner said the findings suggest there was no criminal involvement, reflecting the opinion of the Greek police.
He said it was unclear if the victim was with her friends at the time of her accidental fall.
Aivatidis said, “I think she messed up the building she was staying in and may have fallen trying to enter the building where she was found in an unorthodox manner.
“What remains unclear and is now part of the (police investigation) is whether she was abandoned by friends after the fall.”
Aivatidis said he would conduct further work on the 22-year-old’s body today, including toxicology tests.
According to Greek media, the victim was said to have been bleeding on the street – possibly for hours – before she was found.
The woman’s friends, who had traveled to Corfu on holiday with the victim, had told Corfu police on Friday evening that her phone had disappeared, suggesting it may have been stolen.
But her cell phone was found “nearby,” making the accidental manner of death “much more possible now,” Aivatidis said. “But the autopsy will be final. It rules out other possible scenarios.’
The victim’s stepfather, who is also a police officer, is expected to arrive on the island this week to repatriate the policewoman’s body to Britain.
Meanwhile, Surrey Police said in a statement on Saturday: ‘Yesterday we were sadly informed of the sudden death of a serving office while they were on holiday in Corfu, Greece.
“We are working to support both their families and their colleagues here during this extremely difficult time.
“An investigation into the circumstances of the death is being led by the Greek authorities and we await further updates from them as they conduct their investigation.”
The Surrey Police Federation echoed these sentiments, saying the police officer’s death was ‘devastating’.
It added: ‘The thoughts of everyone at the Surrey Police Federation are with the officer’s family, friends and close colleagues at this time. Both the Federation and the armed forces support them.”
A Foreign Office spokesman told MailOnline: “We are supporting the family of a British woman who died in Greece and are in contact with local authorities.”