Surrey family ‘desperate’ for details around daughter’s death

The family of a 22-year-old police officer who died in Corfu say they are desperate for information from the Greek police so her inquest can take place next week.

Hannah Byrne, from Horley, Surrey, died in September 2023 on the first night of her holiday in Kavos, Corfu, from a fatal head injury after falling from height.

The family say they are frustrated by a two-year wait for the Greek police to complete their investigation and say they fear her inquest might be adjourned for another six months.

Greek police told the BBC prosecutors were unable to disclose any information on the case, while the UK Foreign Office said it was supporting the family and was in contact with Greek authorities.

Hannah’s 23-year-old brother, Ollie Byrne, said she “brought so much to the family” and he had found life without her “very hard”.

“You have to carry on and do what’s best for her and keep fighting for answers,” he said, adding he felt “very disappointed” about a “lack of action” from the UK government and the Greek police.

Hannah served as a constable with Surrey Police in Reigate. She was a third-generation police officer, following in the footsteps of her mother and grandfather.

Sarah Warner, Hannah’s mum, said the family’s wait for answers was “really frustrating because I know what we’re asking for isn’t difficult or outrageous”.

“We’re asking for the investigation to be completed and for the file to be sent to England,” she said.

“If it was a really complicated investigation I could understand, but it’s not.”

Greek authorities believed Hannah’s fatal injuries sustained outside a bar were compatible with an “accidental” fall but her family has discovered CCTV showing her climbing a ladder to the roof of a building with two girls.

The family say Greek police still have not interviewed those two girls about how Hannah fell.

An inquest into her death was delayed in May pending more information from Greek authorities, and is now due to take place on 18 November.

With only one week to go, and no signs that the necessary information has yet been sent over from Greece, Hannah’s 29-year-old cousin Lauren Warner said she felt angry.

She said it was “proving impossible to get answers” about Hannah’s final moments.