The parents of a Brit killed on a tropical island have vowed to get justice for their former Royal Marine son.
Andy and Maria Davies have been given new hope after a coroner ruled their son Carl was unlawfully killed.
The couple, from Fife, have vowed to return to the French overseas territory of Réunion in the Indian Ocean to see the killers put behind bars. Carl was just 33.
His body was found slumped in an open drain in the island's capital of Saint-Denis in November 2011, just days after the ship he was working on docked in the city.
Ex-Marine Carl worked at a school for underprivileged children in Kent before landing his dream job as a security guard on the Atlantic Trader cargo ship – protecting it from pirates.
The vessel docked at Réunion on November 7, 2011, and Carl enjoyed a night out drinking with colleagues before they parted ways.
On November 9, Carl was found dead in the storm drain at the foot of a 30ft ravine.
At an inquest in Maidstone, Kent, this month, the coroner ruled Carl's death was an "unlawful killing" caused by injuries sustained from a “vicious assault” with a blunt instrument and possibly a screwdriver.
Islander Vincent Madouré was sentenced to 15 years in jail for killing Carl in 2017 – then acquitted on appeal in 2019.
Carl's family have visited the remote island twice during their decade-long pursuit of justice and say his son’s killers are widely known among Réunion's islanders.
Andy likens the two main suspects to 60s East End villains the Kray twins – and says locals are too scared to speak out for fear of reprisals.
Andy, 60, said: "My son was unlawfully killed. We're delighted with the coroner's verdict and we deserved it for our boy."
