Re Andrew Watt

[idun]

 There has been quite a lot of N E news in England about the murder of Andrew Watt near Laval, or that general area in 2010. The family wants answers. This is an article in the Northern Echo.

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/10331199.Family_refused_information_from_French_authorities_on_son_s_death/

The last paragraph says:

The Foreign Office's reply to Mr Watt's family regarding the information

request states: "We judge that the release of the information would be

likely to harm relations and ongoing cooperation with the authority,

Ministere de la Justice and ultimately the French government."

Now is this good enough. What on earth could affect anglo french relations when a paranoid schizophrenic man has been killed. It makes no sense to me, at all.

I have tried to find articles about this murder in french papers, but as I am not tres doue at looking such things up, can anyone find any newspaper articles about it please. Curious to get a french perspective.

[Judie]

AccueilInfoInfo MayenneLe corps d'un homme de 31 ans retrouvé en Mayenne

Vendredi 10 septembre 2010 00:00 Le corps d'un homme de 31 ans retrouvé en Mayenne ...

•  

Le corps inanimé d'Andrew Watt, 31 ans, a été

retrouvé, mercredi, en milieu de matinée, à Vimarcé, petit village à

l'est de la Mayenne. Ce sont deux pèlerins qui ont fait la macabre

découverte sur le chemin du Mont-Saint-Michel. Le corps gisait en

travers du chemin de randonnée reliant Vimarcé à Saint-Martin-de-Connée.

D'après les premières constatations, la piste criminelle a été écartée.

Andrew Watt, anglais, avait élu domicile avec sa compagne depuis près

de trois ans dans le village. Amateur de VTT et de marche, il empruntait

régulièrement les chemins de randonnée. Même si l'on penche pour une

mort naturelle, une enquête a été ouverte pour déterminer les causes

précises de son décès.

Ouest-France 

Seems to be a complete absence of anything reported later that I can find

[idun]

Lovely to see you posting Judie, and thanks. I did a search last night and couldn't find anything in the local papers, at least those I thought were the local papers.

So this says nothing, but I'll do another search now and see what is said. That report doesn't sound sinister does it.

[Chancer]

I realise that its insensitive to joke about this but when I read the following

These tests were delayed after it was discovered that Mr Watt's body had been returned to the UK without many of his major organs.

Some organs have now been returned, however it is not possible to determine if they are Mr Watt's.

I thought, thats exactly what happens when you take back say a chainsaw where the engine fails after only 2 weeks, they wont give you a new one, they send it to the manufacturers who say its your fault and you have to pay XYZ to get it returned, it comes back in pièces with some vital bits missing, you complain and after a long wait you recieve some random unrelated parts.

Its just a French thing.

[idun]

Yes, it does sound like french service apres vente, doesn't it.

With regards to organs, I don't know what the fuss is about, I really do not. Whether a deceased family member's body is put together again, or not, it will not bring them back, ever.

In this case, well, they could do a DNA test to see if the organs are his. And maybe IF there was to be another autopsy, then they could be needed.

Still I do understand the family wanting a full report on exactly what happened and cause of death. Sadly the gendarmes are often not good at basic police work, never mind a proper investigation, well the ones we came into contact with, were not.

[andyh4]

Yes I can understand that as well Idun. What I do not understand is why a freedom of information request does not work.

[idun]

andyh4, IF there is any sort of funny business, I reckon that they just stamp something like 'classified' on the paperwork and it then is not shown to the public, or all blacked out. I don't think any of us can really get hold of any paperwork that the powers do not want us to have.

What is going on with this story. The man was mentally ill and I find it hard to believe that there is anything about it could cause an international incident and yet that is what the family are being told would happen. I have looked, I cannot find any other article about it in french papers, other than the one Judie found, but maybe that is just me being useless![:$]