Help me give soldier pal a proper send-off
Hunt for family of Scottish dad who passed away in Malta at 60
THE friend of a former Scots soldier who died suddenly in Malta is trying to trace his relatives to give him a decent send-off.
Richard Slogett’s body has been lying in a mortuary since he was found dead in his flat in the tourist hotspot last month.
Now, friend Paul McAvoy is assisting Maltese police to find the 60-year-old’s next of kin.
Paul, 58, is upset that the ex-soldier’s remains have yet to be claimed.
He said: “He’s just been left there because nobody can find any of his family.
“I know Richard has a sister in Irvine somewhere and that he had a daughter years ago before they all lost touch.
“He didn’t talk much about family but they need to know he’s dead. Surely they wouldn’t want him buried in a different country without knowing about it?”
Football fan Richard had lived in Malta for eight years and was a wellknown figure around the small island country in the Mediterranean Sea.
Paul added: “I’ve got an ex-partner and children in Malta and that’s how I met Richard. We became good friends. He was mad on Liverpool and Celtic and he loved Kenny Dalglish.
“He’d been looking forward to Liverpool playing in the Champions League final last Saturday.
“I found out through Facebook that he was dead and I was devastated.
“Sloggett is quite an unusual surname so hopefully somebody will recognise it and get in touch with the police in Malta.
“Richard was very likeable, a real gentleman.
“He was a soldier and the least he deserves is a decent send-off.”