Oliver Gobat.
BBC - A decision on whether to send British police to St Lucia to investigate the murder of a luxury hotel owner is expected within weeks.
Oliver Gobat, from Surrey, was found in a burnt-out car on the Caribbean island in April 2014. The 38-year-old was reportedly shot and then set alight.
His parents, Theo and Helen Gobat, have offered a £120,000 reward.
The Home Office said it expected a deployment decision to be made “in the next week or two”.
Dominic Raab, Conservative MP for Esher and Walton, wants British police to help investigate his death but UK officers cannot examine cases in which a suspect could face the death penalty.
Speaking to BBC Surrey, he said: “In truth the death penalty hasn’t been applied in this kind of case for about 20 years in St Lucia.
“What we’ve been trying to do is pitch to the government – the home secretary and the foreign secretary – to make sure they’ve got enough assurance that we can provide this support – this much-needed support – to see justice done in the Gobat case without impinging on that foreign policy red line.
“We don’t yet have a decision on that but I’m feeling increasingly quietly confident that we’ll get the right outcome in the end.”
’Tragic death’
A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said a decision was expected in the next week or two.
She added: “We have been providing consular assistance to Mr Gobat’s family since his tragic death and have made clear to the St Lucian authorities the importance of bringing those responsible to justice.”
Oliver, known as Ollie, was born in St Lucia but grew up in Surrey where he played junior cricket at county level.
He and his two older brothers ran a five-star boutique hotel in an exclusive resort in St Lucia.
Mr and Mrs Gobat have set up a Facebook campaign in a bid to see the people responsible for their son’s murder “brought to justice”.
LINK TO ARTICLE: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-surrey-31516911