Sadly Matthews death on the Greek island of Zante was not an isolated incident, there have in recent years been several deaths in suspicious circumstances where no one has been held responsible or brought to trial. The case of Gary Beard is one such tragic death
Gary Beard had lived on Zakynthos for 5 years, considered the island his home and had become a Greek citizen. He was in the process of buying a property in Laganas, when a dispute between him and the owners of the house happened. In the weeks leading up to his death Gary was threatened and assaulted, he tried to report these incidents to the local police, but they failed to take them seriously and refused to take a statement off him.
Gary was 36 when he died,he had planned a bright and happy future on Zante. However on the 6th of September 2008 he was found unconscious at around 1.30pm on the roadside in front of his home, he later died in Hospital. The local police initially treated his death as an accident, suggesting that he had been the victim of a hit and run driver or had been kicked by a horse. Once his parents arrived on the Island it became clear to them this was not the case, Garys injuries were to the base of his skull and therefore it is very unlikely that he was the victim of a road traffic accident or attack by a horse.
A post mortem has confirmed the cause of his death as a head injury and his family are still for an inquest to take place in Greece. Their efforts to find the truth of how Gary died have been met by a wall of silence and thwarted by an inadequate police investigation, where evidence was not collected at the roadside or in his home.
Gary was found on the busy Kalamaki road that runs between Laganas and Kalamaki, it is then likely that someone saw something of what happened that day. If you or any one you know was in Laganas that day the 6th of September around 1-1.30pm and saw anything suspicious however insignificant you think it may be please get in touch via jo_ian_froud@talktalk.net and we will pass the information onto his parents.
Other Deaths
Richard Markunger
Nineteen-year-old Richard Markunger was killed in Zakynthos, Greece. He was found in the early hours of July 6 2005 behind the Ionis hotel in Lagana suffering from severe head injuries and died in hospital a few days later.
Swedish Richard had arrived in Greece on 5 Jul and had gone out that night with his friend. He met an English girl in a bar and arranged to meet her the following day. The two boys then returned to their hotel together and went to bed. For some reason Richard later left the room, never to return again.
Initially, Greek police thought Richard had been in a terrible accident and had fallen from a balcony, but a post mortem revealed that he had been hit round the back of the head with a sharp object, most likely a stone. The case was declared a murder investigation.
A few weeks later, police received an anonymous letter with information about the murder. The letter was written in English and named four British boys who had been heard bragging about giving the boy a good kicking that night. The four suspects left the island the following day and have not been traced since.
Richard Markunger was a sporty guy who loved snowboarding and fly-fishing and football and had his whole life ahead of him. He is described as very social, helpful and positive and loved by his family and friends.
Jonny Hiles
Eighteen year old Jonny from Cardiff was on holiday with friends in July 2007, when on the first night of his holiday he was punched and thrown off a 6ft platform, he later died in hospital.Greek police treated his death as manslaughter and later identified a British suspect as his killer.
Andrew Symeou a 19 year old student faces extradition to Greece under an European arrest warrant. Mr Symeou is fighting his extradition claiming that his two friends who gave statements to the Greek police did so under duress with the use of physical and verbal threats to elicit incriminating information. He also claims that the Greek investigation was flawed and that he will face an unfair trial in Greece.
Jonnys family understandably support Mr Symeou`s extradition to Greece saying I don't want Symeou to be sent away and just be found guilty - I want it to be a fair trial. "I don't know if he did it but until he has his day in court nobody will."
Simon Anderson
Simon was killed in Zante when he was run over by a drunken motorcyclist, no one has ever been held responsible or charged with his death.
Andrew Hutton
Was Killed in Zante in 2005 when he was hit by a car as he returned from a night out
IF YOU OR ANYONE YOU KNOW HAS INFORMATION THAT MIGHT HELP, PLEASE GET IN TOUCH AND WE WILL PASS IT ON TO THE RELEVANT PEOPLE jo_ian_froud@talktalk.net