Mother of man who died in Vietnam crash describes 'awful nightmare'

Denver Barfield was travelling in different countries before starting a job in London

The mother of a man killed in a motorbike crash in Vietnam has said his body is due to arrive in the UK after "an awful nightmare".

Denver Barfield, 24, from Beaumont Leys in Leicester, died in Hoi An on 16 May, his family say.

Beth Thompson, a masters student at the University of Leicester, was also killed in the crash.

Mr Barfield's mum Debbie Clayton said she was "in shock", adding now his body is coming home, it has "become real".

The 50-year-old added: "I am really upset. I just think I have been telling myself it is mistaken identity. I am in shock really."

Miss Clayton said she was visited by police officers at her home on the morning of 16 May to tell her he had died.

Then, Miss Clayton was the subject of a scam from someone who claimed to be the coroner in Vietnam.

She said she started getting repeated WhatsApp messages, in which they demanded $12,500 to send her son's body home.

She added: "They were asking me what I wanted to do with my dead son's body and they started sending graphic images."

Mr Barfield finished his degree at Aston University in 2020 but graduated earlier this year - the day before he left to go travelling

Miss Clayton said she received more than 50 messages before police confirmed to her on 19 May that it was a scam.

She added: "It has just been an awful nightmare."

On Friday night, she said the Foreign Office confirmed his body was on an aeroplane and due to arrive at Heathrow Airport on Saturday evening.

Mr Barfield was in Vietnam as part of a trip to different countries with a friend, and they had plans to go on to Cambodia, Bali and then Australia - which is where his mother grew up - before he started a job in London.

Miss Clayton said her son had been "all over the world and has since he was 16"

Talking about her son, she said: "He was my world. He was kind, caring, quirky and an incredible human being. I was so proud. He had good manners and was a beautiful soul.

"He had his future mapped out - he was a blessing.

"The last time I spoke to him was the Saturday [before his death], he said 'mum guess where am I going to end up?'

"He said 'I am going to end up in your home town'."

'Extremely saddened'

Mr Barfield's friend Harri Stavrou has started a fundraising page, which has raised more than £23,000, and the funds have been used towards bringing Mr Barfield's body home.

Dr Wendy Tabrizi, head of the marketing & strategy department at Aston Business School, said: "We are all extremely saddened to hear this news. Denver performed well on the BSc Marketing degree, achieving a 2:1 in June 2020, despite the difficulties all students experienced with lockdown at that time."

Geoff Green, registrar and secretary at the University of Leicester, said: "I am deeply saddened to hear about the death of Beth Thompson - our thoughts are with her family and friends.

"Beth was a bright and dedicated chemistry student. She completed her masters last year and had already embarked on a successful career as a chemical analyst."

A Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office spokesperson said: "Our staff are supporting the families of a British man and woman who died following a road traffic accident in Vietnam."