Eve Henderson stood in a Paris hospital in October 1997, staring at her husband Roderick, who lay unconscious after a brutal attack. A doctor wept, but Henderson felt numb. 'That's what shock does to you,' she recalls. The family had been celebrating Roderick's 54th birthday on a Seine river cruise just hours earlier.
The attack, now 28 years ago, happened without warning. After the cruise, Roderick, their son Scott, and son-in-law Andrew went for a drink near the Champs-Élysées. A gang of youths on inline skates assaulted them; Roderick was punched in the throat and kicked in the head. He died from a brain haemorrhage. No one has ever been charged.
Henderson describes the aftermath as a 'gaping void.' With no cash, no credit cards, and no knowledge of the hospital, she queued at the British consulate alongside visa applicants. 'You're a stranger in a strange city, floundering in the dark,' she says. The family had to extend their stay, unable to return home immediately.
Around 80 British people are victims of homicide overseas each year, and Henderson's experience highlights the unique challenges: different languages, legal systems, and policing. She felt hopeless and alone, a feeling that has stayed with her. Her story underscores the need for better support for bereaved families in foreign countries.
