Demand for UK government action 10 months after British man’s death in Grenada

Police closed case of Andrew Frederick despite autopsy report ruling his death a homicide

A time-critical investigation into the death of a British man whose body was found in a ransacked property on the Caribbean island of Grenada has stalled because of diplomatic delays between the two countries.

Charity workers supporting the family of Andrew Frederick are demanding immediate government intervention to clear the path for a full investigation to begin almost 10 months after his death, which has been ruled a homicide by a pathologist.

The Murdered Abroad charity has called on the foreign affairs select committee to step in after Grenadian police found there was “no basis … that any homicide has occurred” and closed the case.

This was despite a report from an autopsy, done in the week he died, saying Frederick, 47, had suffered “blunt force trauma”, was tortured, including by removal of his toenail, and ruling the death a homicide.

Frederick’s body was found on 4 January. Since then, the family say they have been forced to focus on their fight for justice instead of coming to terms with their loss.

Murdered Abroad’s founder, Eve Henderson, said:“We understand there are challenges but [almost 10 months] on, this family is still being met with obfuscation. If a family this determined cannot get the FCDO [Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office] to put their diplomatic powers to good use, what hope is there for the 60 to 80 families bereaved by murder abroad each year?

“A minister must look urgently at how consular services treat these traumatised families or the foreign affairs select committee must step in,” she added.

A former Scotland Yard homicide commander who is supporting the family described Grenada’s actions as “incredible”.

“In the autopsy report … the pathologist, who is a qualified medical examiner, categorically states that he believes this is a case of homicide and that Andrew was tortured before he was killed,” David Johnston said. “And yet the police just choose to ignore that because it didn’t fit with their model. I mean, it’s incredible.”

After a sustained campaign by the family, British authorities became involved and Frederick’s body was repatriated to the UK in August, where a second autopsy was carried out, during which it was discovered his organs were missing.

The family described this discovery as “shocking and devastating”.

In a statement, they said: “We were already heartbroken that Andrew’s life was cruelly taken, but nothing could have prepared us for what we would learn afterwards. For six weeks after his death, Andrew’s body was held under the control of the Grenadian authorities. When he was later examined in the UK, parts of his neck and all of his organs, including his brain, heart, and lungs, were missing.

“That discovery has been shocking and absolutely devastating for our family; we are still struggling to process it. It has added pain upon pain and left us with deep hurt with so many unanswered questions. Despite our multiple inquiries, no one has told us where they are, what happened to them, or why we were never told. No family should ever have to ask these questions.”