British policewoman, 22, dies in ‘accidental fall’ hours after arriving in Corfu on holiday
- The 22-year-old victim was found with severe head injuries on a street in Kavos
A British policewoman has died following a reported accidental fall just hours after she arrived on the Greek island of Corfu on holiday.
The 22-year-old victim, who has not yet been named but worked for Surrey Police, was found with severe head injuries on a side street in Kavos in the early hours of Friday.
Greek authorities believe the fatal injuries she sustained outside a bar are compatible with a ‘low level accidental fall’, reports the Mirror.
The police officer had arrived on the island just hours before the reported accidental fall, with Greek cops ruling out any criminal involvement in her death.
Leading coroner Ioannis Aivatidis told the newspaper there was no evidence the British police officer had been attacked. Instead he said the severe head trauma she sustained was likely due to a ‘low level fall’.
A British policewoman has died following a reported accidental fall just hours after she arrived on the Greek island of Corfu on holiday (file image of Corfu Old Town)
‘Her head injury was compatible with a low level accidental fall,’ Aivatidis said after rushing to the scene. ‘I examined her for at least two hours and a half hours [on the road] and I noted there was alcohol on her breath.
‘She had only arrived on the island hours before so that raises questions.’
Aivatidis said he would be carrying out an examination of the 22-year-old’s body including toxicology tests today.
The victim was allegedly left bleeding on the street – possibly for hours – before she was found, according to Greek media.
The woman’s friends, who had travelled to Corfu on holiday with the victim, had told Corfu police that her phone was missing at some point during Friday night, suggesting that it might have been stolen.
But her mobile was found ‘nearby’, making the accidental manner of her death ‘now much more possible’, Aivatidis said. ‘But the autopsy will be definitive. It will rule out other possible scenarios.’
Meanwhile, Surrey Police said in a statement at the weekend: ‘Yesterday we were sadly made aware of the sudden death of a serving office whilst they were on holiday in Corfu, Greece.
‘We are working to support both their family and their colleagues here during this extremely difficult time.
‘An investigation into the circumstances of the death is being led by the Greek authorities and we await further updates from them as they conduct their enquiries.’
The Surrey Police Federation echoed these sentiments and said the police officer’s death was ‘devastating’.
It added: ‘The thoughts of all at Surrey Police Federation are with the officer’s family, friends and close colleagues at this time. Both the Federation and the force are supporting them.’
A spokesperson for the Foreign Office told MailOnline: ‘We are supporting the family of a British woman who has died in Greece and are in contact with the local authorities’.
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