Parents of Scot who died on Spanish hen do create guide for families affected by death abroad

Kirsty Maxwell's parents Brian and Denise Curry have used their experience to help the Scottish Government produce its Bereavement Abroad Through Homicide or Culpable Homicide memorandum.

The parents of a Scottish woman who died in mystery circumstances in Spain have helped shape a new government guide to assist families who lose loved ones abroad.

Kirsty Maxwell fell to her death from a balcony in 2017 after a night out in Benidorm.

Newly married Kirsty, 27, of Livingston, was in the Spanish resort on a hen do.

Her dad, Brian Curry, has now told how he and wife Denise used their experience to help the Scottish Government produce its Bereavement Abroad Through Homicide or Culpable Homicide memorandum.

Brian, 66, said: “When Kirsty died, if there was something like this already in place, it could have helped us. We would have known where to go and who to speak to. When something like this happens, you are in shock, you’re grieving..

“This was about trying to help to make it a little bit easier for families going through this.”

The guidance was published in September and sets out the roles of the Foreign Office, Police Scotland, the Crown Office and other agencies.

It outlines support for those who suffer bereavement abroad as a result of sudden, suspicious, or unexplained circumstances.

Kirsty mistakenly entered a 10th-floor apartment occupied by five British men before she died.

The men were homicide suspects but were cleared by judges who ruled in July 2020 there was no “strong evidence” of criminality and nothing to indicate she had not jumped to her death.

In February we revealed a number of Scottish families whose loved ones died abroad in suspicious circumstances.

Ian Mallon’s engineer son, Craig, 26, was killed in Lloret de Mar, Spain, in 2012, after an altercation with a group of men during his brother’s stag party, but nobody was convicted.

A team of private investigators, led by retired Strathclyde detective David Swindle, have produced a dossier detailing 13 potential witnesses.

Swindle has also worked with Kirsty’s family investigate her death.

Jean Hanlon, 53, from Dumfries, went missing in Crete in March 2009 after a night out. She was found dead in Heraklion harbour four days later.

Her three sons insist their mum, who lived on the Greek island, was murdered.

Swindle said: “People think if you have a British passport and are a British citizen you will be afforded all this support abroad. This isn’t the case.

“The government says it does not interfere or influence investigations in any other country unless they require or request assistance.

"It is not holistic, joined-up support and there is still room for improvement.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Ministers are sincerely grateful to Kirsty Maxwell’s family, and other families, who have shared their experiences.

“While it is the role of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to provide consular support, the Scottish Government will continue to work alongside the UK Government and other agencies to improve how families are supported following the death of a relative overseas.”