Berkshire family call for change after son's murder abroad
The family of a man who was murdered in the US are calling for more support when loved ones are killed abroad.Tom Reeve, 28, from Maidenhead, was shot dead when a man entered a bar in Amarillo, Texas, in 2009.His step-father Brian Millin said the process following his death had taken "far too long, and there wasn't enough help from the government" on issues like contacting foreign consulates, translating documents and repatriation.A spokesperson for the Foreign Office said the family had been supported at the time but are yet to explain what processes are currently in place.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Under-Secretary of State for Justice Alex Davies-Jones said the government was looking at what extra information could "better signpost help for those affected by crimes overseas"."I intend to consult on the new code with all new members and the public in due course," he said.Mr Millin explained his stepson had been on holiday with two friends during a visit to see his biological father when he decided to take a road trip "because he liked the song" (Is This The Way To) Amarillo by Tony Christie.He was killed when a gunman opened fire in an armed raid at a bar.Ray Carlos Cisneros was later arrested and jailed for the killing.
Mr Millin said: "We managed to contact the consulate in Houston but there is a time difference and they were not always very helpful..."We decided to handle everything directly ourselves including repatriation of Tom because we were not getting any help from our government at this end or that end."The murder of any family member is traumatic and you're just not prepared for it. "When it's abroad it just compounds the issues, the time differences and very often there's a language difficulty."
'Morally wrong'
Mr Millin has since got involved with the charity Murdered Abroad and the issue has been taken up by their MP Joshua Reynolds who is also calling on the government to "do more to help these families".He said: "There's already a requirement for consulates to be able to support families but there is no clear criteria of what this means."I've set out a number of tests that I think will be clear, that we want to be looking at in the future."Translating legal and investigative documents into English, guidance and support around legal systems."The Foreign Office have got this information, the Foreign Office knows how these work so it should be able to support these families in doing so."Tom's mother Maggie said: "His last words to me were 'chill mother, it will all be fine' and I'd like to think that it would. It will be fine if we can get this changed. It's just morally wrong."
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