Partner told of children's deaths
British children found dead in Corfu died from carbon monoxide poisoning
Also In The News
|
Manchester United made short work of Lancashire neighbours Bolton Wanderers as Wayne Rooney rediscovered his scoring touch in a 4-0 win. |  |
Sunday, 29, Oct 2006 08:01
The woman whose partner's children were killed by carbon monoxide poisoning in a Corfu hotel has been informed of their deaths after regaining consciousness.
Ruth Beatson, 27, was being treated on the Greek island for the effects of the poisonous fumes, which killed Christianne Shepherd, seven, and her brother, Robert, six.
The children's father, Richard Shepherd, 38, has regained consciousness, but his health is not thought to be good enough to tell him of the death of his daughter and son.
Both adults are expected to make a full recovery eventually, but the owner, manager and two maintenance staff at the Louis Corcyra are facing manslaughter charges and a potential five-year jail term each.
Sharon Wood, the biological mother of Christianne and Robert, yesterday flew into Corfu to see her children's bodies.
Meanwhile, the head of Greece's tourism organisation has pledged that a fully transparent inquiry will be held.
The family were discovered by a hotel cleaner earlier this week. They had been staying in the five-star hotel during the children's half-term holiday.
Tour operator Thomas Cook has defended its hotel selection policy, while the Corfu tourism board has stressed that such incidents are extremely rare.