The family of a British man murdered in Jamaica are demanding answers over what they describe as the “indifferent” response from UK officials following his death. Delroy Walker, 63, from Birmingham, was stabbed to death in April 2018, weeks after retiring to the Caribbean island where he was restoring a seafront home.
This week, Dwayne Barton, 32, was jailed for 27 years and Davian Edwards, 33, for 22 years after being found guilty of murder at St Mary circuit court in Jamaica. The court heard that Walker, a former charity worker and school caretaker, had hired local tradesmen to help decorate his property and had become involved in a minor dispute with Barton, who returned and killed him as “payback”.
Walker, born on the island, moved to Britain at age 11 with his parents as part of the Windrush generation. His brother, Steve Walker, said the family had received justice but criticised the British high commission in Kingston for failing to provide adequate support. He said an official initially told them the government could not help because “your brother’s not British, or not British enough” due to his dual passport.
Walker’s sister, Jackie Ward, said the high commission had been “indifferent” and that no official had contacted them since the trial or attended court hearings as promised. “If it had been a person from Oxford or Surrey, a white British family, who had been killed, I highly suspect their response and support would have been different,” she said. “It’s a systemic problem.”
The Foreign Office said: “We have supported the family since Mr Walker’s death and remain available for consular assistance.”
