Last Updated on September 30, 2020, 3:46 AM AST by Anthony Morris
A British couple was brutally murdered in Jamaica weeks after reporting being victim of fraud amounting to £100,000.
74-year-old Halford Anderson, and his 71-year-old wife Florence, of Manchester, was found dead near their home in Jamaica in June 2018.
The inquest heard they were shot and burnt in the attack, and Mr Anderson suffered horrific head injuries.
Senior coroner of Manchester concluded that the couple were unlawfully killed.
The couple, also known as Charlie and Gayle, sold their home in Gorton and had retired to Mount Pleasant in Portland in June 2017.
Mark, the couple’s son, said in a statement that his father had always wanted to go back to Jamaica where he grew up.
His parents put the proceeds from the house sale into a bank account, and the couple could have lived comfortably in Jamaica.
However, in April 2018, Mrs Anderson told the family that all their money had disappeared.
He said the couple returned to the UK to meet with the bank and flew back to Jamaica at the beginning of June, satisfied the bank could refund at least some of the money.
But on 22 June, the couple was found dead.
Senior coroner Nigel Meadows told the inquest Mr Anderson died of “horrific” head injuries but also had a gunshot wound to his hand, while a gunshot wound to her face killed Mrs Anderson. They had both also suffered burns.
Jamaican police said in a letter to the British High Commission said a trail of blood led from the property, which was charred inside.
It is said that a man hired to do odd jobs for the couple had since been charged with fraud.
No one has been charged with their killings.
Their son said they are no further forward in finding out what happened and that the family is completely devastated and frustrated.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
