Family of dead PC 'deeply distressed' two years on

The family of Surrey Police Constable Hannah Byrne say they are still waiting for answers two years after her death

The family of a Surrey Police officer who died after a night out in Corfu remain "deeply distressed" that they are without answers two years on, their MP says.

Hannah Byrne, 22, from Horley, died on 1 September, 2023 on the first night of her holiday in Kavos when she suffered a fatal head injury after falling several metres.

Greek authorities say they believed her injuries were compatible with an "accidental fall" but were investigating whether she had unwittingly drunk alcohol laced with methanol.

Two years on from her death, "vital investigative steps remain outstanding" and a UK inquest continues to be delayed, Dorking & Horley MP Chris Coghlan said in a letter to a Foreign Office minister.

Writing to Stephen Doughty, the Foreign Office minister for Europe, North America and overseas territories, Coghlan said: "Hannah's family, friends and the Surrey policing community remain deeply distressed that, two years on, they are still without answers and unable to begin the grieving process properly.

"They feel that Hannah's case been overlooked, and I share their view that it is now imperative for the UK government to intervene with the Greek authorities to ensure that justice is served."

Ms Byrne was found dead after a night out in Kavos in 2023

Ms Byrne, who was a serving PC in Reigate, was found dead on the side of a main road by a passerby the morning after the incident.

Greek files on Ms Byrne's death have not yet been translated into English or transferred to British police, Coghlan says.

An inquest into her death, originally opened by West Sussex Coroner's Court just over two weeks after her death, was adjourned for a further six months in May.

At the time, coroner's officer Anna Soczewka told the hearing in Horsham that it was "still awaiting information and material from the Greek authorities".

A spokesperson for the coroner service said Ms Byrne's death remained "under investigation with the Greek authorities" and that setting any future inquest date "depends on the Greek authorities providing information to us".

A Foreign Office spokesperson said it was supporting the family of a British woman who had died in Greece and was in contact with the local authorities.