Inquest into Surrey PC’s Corfu death faces further delays

The family of a young police officer who died after a night out on Corfu in 2023 are facing a further wait for answers after her inquest was delayed pending more information from Greek authorities.

Hannah Byrne had been out on the first night of her holiday in Kavos on the Greek island when she suffered a fatal head injury after falling several metres on 1 September 2023.

The 22-year-old served as a constable with Surrey Police’s neighbourhood policing team in Reigate.

Greek authorities believed her fatal injuries sustained outside a bar were compatible with an “accidental” fall but they were also investigating whether Ms Byrne had unwittingly drunk alcohol laced with methanol.

On Tuesday, West Sussex Area Coroner Joseph Turner adjourned Ms Byrne’s inquest, which was originally opened on 18 September 2023, for another six months.

“We are still awaiting information and material from the Greek authorities,” coroner’s officer Anna Soczewka told the court in Horsham.

Ms Byrne was found dead on the side of a main road by a passerby the morning after her fall.

Her family and friends will now have to wait until 18 November this year for her case to next be heard at West Sussex Coroner’s Court.

A tribute from Ms Byrne’s family, issued through police at the time of her death in 2023, described her as “beautiful inside and out” with “a real zest for life”.

Her death was described at the time by colleagues as “a shock for everyone who knew her”.

“She was a bright, enthusiastic and respected officer just at the start of her career in policing and she will be sadly missed,” they said.