MEETING WITH MP HAS GIVEN US NEW HOPE (Cheltenham Liberal Democrats)

Cheltenham Liberal Democrats <info@cheltlibdems.org.uk>

MEETING WITH MP HAS GIVEN US NEW HOPE

January 19, 2008 7:00 PM

Relatives of Stephen Bennett, the Cheltenham man murdered on holiday in India, have met with a Foreign Office minister in their fight to bring his killers to justice.Stephen's sister Amanda and mum Maureen made a direct plea to Lord Mark Malloch-Brown, the minister with responsibility for Asia.

Amanda was full of praise for the work of Cheltenham MP Martin Horwood in securing the meeting.

She said: "It wouldn't have been possible without Martin.

"He wrote letters and continually fought our case to get the meeting set up - it took him about a year in the end.

"We had found it impossible to get through. We kept ending up with a civil servant who had no authority and fobbed us off."

The family have been fighting to get Indian police to agree that Stephen didn't commit suicide, but was murdered.

He went to Goa on a holiday in December 2006. He phoned his mum to say he was in trouble but didn't know why. Shortly after, his body was found hanging 90 miles south of Mumbai.

Amanda said: "We have some compelling evidence.

"We think we know who is responsible and to think they are driving around Goa at the moment is an injustice.

"We know Stephen was murdered and we know by who, so we do have a certain amount of closure."

Amanda was impressed with Lord Malloch-Brown and his knowledge of their case.

They went to London to visit him in his Westminster office on Monday, with Mr Horwood present.

Amanda said: "It means we are closer to getting the Indian Central Bureau of Investigation involved, which has authority across the country.

"Before, we have been dealing with the individual police forces who have no authority in the other's patch.

"Now Martin has promised to stay in touch with Lord Malloch-Brown and keep us informed of any update."

All six men accused of Stephen's murder have been released on bail by an Indian court. They claim they've been made scapegoats and witnesses' reports are flawed.

Mr Horwood said: "What the family have been trying to do is upgrade the investigation in India because they have very little confidence the local police will get a conviction.

"The Indian authorities would consider upgrading the investigation to one by the CBI, but they have indicated they need pressure from the British government to encourage that."

From the Gloucestershire Echo www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk

19 January 2008