Knives off our streets
Sailor’s death still a mystery
THE death of Indian sailor Gregory Fernandes remains unsolved two months after he was apparently the victim of a race-hate gang attack.
Mr Fernandes collapsed after he was assaulted by a group of about 20 youths in the centre of Fawley - but tests have so far failed to establish what killed the 32-year-old merchant seamen.
Detectives say investigations are continuing and they hope to learn more this month.
The delay in pinpointing the cause of death is preventing Mr Fernandes's family from claiming his body and returning it to the Indian state of Goa.
The sailor's uncle, Father Diogo Fernandes, spoke to the Daily Echo from his home in Florida: "Gregory's family are in limbo. The exact cause of his death is described as a mystery. Everyone is using the word and no one can come up with an explanation."
| Agony for parents of Gregory Fernandes who still cannot bury their son's body | |
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Father Fernandes revealed that his nephew had been due to return home to attend the Christmas wedding of his cousin in Bombay.
"There will have been no Christmas for his parents - they are in such agony," he said.
The 62-year-old Roman Catholic priest confirmed that the distraught couple were struggling to make sense of their son's death. He compared their situation to the confusion felt by two people living in a country where no one else spoke their language.
Gregory Fernandes was a crewman aboard a cargo vessel that was visiting Fawley refinery on October 20.
He and a shipmate had been for a drink at the Falcon Hotel, Fawley, and were returning to their ship when they were attacked near the junction of Church Lane and Sherringham Close.
A passer-by intervened and took Mr Fernandes back to the refinery where he collapsed and died.
Exactly a week later more than 300 villagers attended a special service in All Saints Church, Fawley, and then staged a procession to the village square, where candles were lit in his memory.
Father Fernandes flew over from America at the end of October and prayed near the spot where his nephew was attacked.
Villagers have raised thousands of pounds in a bid to ease the financial burden on the sailor's parents, who regarded him as the family's main breadwinner. Residents have also planted a tree in memory of Mr Fernandes on the village green.
n Ten teenagers were arrested on suspicion of murder following the death of Mr Fernandes. They were subsequently released on bail, pending further inquiries.
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CommentPosted by: terry Hales, australia on 7:29am Sat 5 Jan 08
Very sad to read the story of the poor sailer who was murdered in Fawley, I was an MN seaman in the 1950s-1960s visited Fawley several times and dozens of other towns & cities in every continent around the world and never came to any harm.
Sad
My condolences to the family[quote]quote[/quote]
Very sad to read the story of the poor sailer who was murdered in Fawley, I was an MN seaman in the 1950s-1960s visited Fawley several times and dozens of other towns & cities in every continent around the world and never came to any harm.
Sad
My condolences to the family
quote
Posted by: John on 1:02am Mon 7 Jan 08
I find it absolutely amazing that after all this time police are no further? It's a small community, how difficult can it be? What happenned to the 10 who were arrested? What does the police mean that reasons for actual death have not been established? Should not the police bring in specialist help if this is beyond them? Whats going to happen to actual state of the body after all this time? Is it going to hinder further investigations?
I find it absolutely amazing that after all this time police are no further? It's a small community, how difficult can it be? What happenned to the 10 who were arrested? What does the police mean that reasons for actual death have not been established? Should not the police bring in specialist help if this is beyond them? Whats going to happen to actual state of the body after all this time? Is it going to hinder further investigations?
Posted by: ---ben on 12:43pm Fri 18 Jan 08
A post-mortem examination was unable to establish the cause of death and no-one has been charged over the attack. this was what i heard on the bbc news website. its riduculous that parents are bringing there kids up like this.
A post-mortem examination was unable to establish the cause of death and no-one has been charged over the attack. this was what i heard on the bbc news website. its riduculous that parents are bringing there kids up like this.
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