The death of a British man allegedly tortured at his home in Grenada is under investigation in Britain after Caribbean authorities ruled his death was ‘accidental’.
The body of Andrew Donald Frederick, 47, was discovered on the floor of his home on the Caribbean island on January 4 this year.
Mr Frederick’s body was subsequently repatriated back to Britain after his death was believed to have been accidental.
But the deceased’s family later launched their own appeal for information and commissioned an independent forensic pathologist and a private investigator to investigate the death.
The pathologist, approved by the Royal Grenada Police, found that Mr Frederick had been tortured and declared his death a homicide.
In Britain, Mr Frederick’s cause of death is currently listed as ‘not certain’, but this week it was confirmed that the Metropolitan Police has launched an investigation.
At a hearing at the Coroner’s Court in west London, senior coroner Lydia Brown said: ‘There was a post-mortem of Professor Daisley in a private family that the death was murder.’
She added that “police are now investigating.”
The body of 47-year-old Andrew Donald Frederick (pictured) was discovered on the floor of his home in Grenada on January 4 this year
A pathologist later ruled that Mr Frederick (left) died in a homicide
A spokesman for Mr Frederick’s family said they had little choice but to launch their own appeal for information after becoming concerned about the direction of the police investigation in Grenada.
The family also criticized the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
They said that after providing the FCDO with the pathologist’s post-mortem report, it allegedly declined to refer the case to the murder and manslaughter team.
In a statement, the family said: ‘Acting on the basis of pure discretion and without guidance to substantiate its position, the FCDO has chosen to accept the local police’s classification of Andrew’s death as suspicious, but not murder, rather than the determination of the sole medical professional who examined Andrew.’
The family added that delays in support from British authorities had taken an “immeasurable toll” on them.
They added: “We have not been able to properly mourn Andrew because grief requires a certain amount of fortitude, or at least the belief that those with the power to act will act.
“Instead, we spent almost five months campaigning for justice while bearing the weight of what was done to him.
“This includes investigating horrific images and knowing that the very organizations that exist to help families in these circumstances have forced us to fight again and again for the most basic involvement.
“This is not what grief should look like. This is what institutional failure looks like.”
Eve Henderson, the co-founder of Murdered Abroad, a charity that supports the family, said she was baffled by the FCDO’s unwillingness to transfer the case to the murder and manslaughter unit, despite the post-mortem report.
Murdered Abroad played an important role in the formation of the murder and manslaughter team eleven years ago.
Mr Henderson said: ‘On average there are between 60 and 80 murders of British nationals abroad each year, which I believe is around 10 per cent of all murders in England and Wales last year. If it happens to you, you just assume that you will be assisted by our police, the State Department or the coroner.’
The FCDO said in a statement: ‘We are supporting the family of a British man killed in Grenada and are in contact with local authorities.’
The Metropolitan Police said: ‘The Met is investigating the death of 47-year-old Andrew Donald Frederick who died in Grenada on Sunday 4 January.
“Officers have contacted the Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF) to provide assistance and discuss how the investigation can proceed.
“Mr Frederick’s family are being supported by specialist officers. No arrests have been made at this stage and investigations are ongoing.”
