From left to right: Helen Gobat, Attorney -Peter Foster and Theo Gobat.
The parents of former St. Lucian hotelier Oliver Gobat have doubled a reward offered for information on his murder. His parents, Theo and Helen Gobat, are now offering a £120,000 or EC$508,000 reward.
“We are offering a bit more because whoever comes forward will need to leave the island,” Theo Gobat reportedly told the BBC. Theo said since the appeal was launched in St. Lucia a few weeks back, there has been a gradual response and it is beginning to work.
However, Oliver’s mother Helen told the BBC, “Nothing is going to bring him back, but I want to know how it happened and why it happened.”
A British parliamentarian recently called on the United Kingdom (U.K) government to assist with the investigations into the murder of Oliver Gobat.
The Conservative Member of Parliament for Esher and Walton, Dominic Raab, made the request at a recent sitting of the British parliament.
The British Foreign Minister James Duddridge said he is awaiting a response from the St. Lucian government, on whether they will agree not to apply the death penalty. The UK cannot examine cases where a suspect could face the death penalty.
Oliver’s parents, Helen and Theo Gobat have been pushing for foreign assistance. The family has already employed a forensic team from the UK to assist with the investigation. This was made possible through a fund created by friends of Oliver.
Oliver Gobat’s body was found in his Range Rover on Cap Estate on April 25 burnt beyond recognition.