A British man has gone on trial accused of murdering his girlfriend on the holiday island of Crete.
Luke Walker, 24, of Brierley Hill near Dudley, West Midlands, has always denied killing 20-year-old Chelsea Hyndman.
Miss Hyndman, of Castleford, died after she was taken to hospital with abdominal pains in May 2010.
Greek prosecutors claim she was beaten by Walker, who is charged with one count of murder at Heraklion Mixed Criminal Court.
But Walker says she fell during a night out in the nearby resort town of Malia, where the pair were living and working as bar staff.
Two post-mortem examinations have been carried out on the 20-year-old’s body, evidence from which is expected to play a key role in the trial.
Walker was held on remand for five months and is currently on bail and cannot leave the island.
Last night Miss Hyndman’s mother Heather Hyndman, who was in court today for the trial, said the loss of her daughter has left a horrendous gap in her life.
Ms Hyndman said no verdict could ever bring her daughter back.
“Chelsea, she just loved life, loved her friends, loved going out at the weekends, going to work, going to the gym. driving lessons, a typical 20-year-old,” she said.
“Every morning I wake up and I know that I am not going to be able to see her and touch her and then I just tell myself ‘you can get through this day’.
“If you do manage to laugh then you feel guilty because how can you be feeling happy when your daughter is not with you?
“It’s just the worst thing that could possibly happen to a mother.”
She said she has had tremendous support from family and friends and is reassured that the case will be heard by a judge.
Walker’s brother Ryan and father Patrick were also in court today for the start of the trial.
The first stage of the trial was originally scheduled for today and tomorrow.
But a strike by Greek judges means the court will only sit for one day, and a date for further hearings has yet to be set.
(source: york shire evening post)
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