We found out about our girl’s murder on social media
THE heartbroken parents of a Scots mother murdered in Mauritius have revealed they only found out about her death on social media.
The elderly couple have now condemned the island’s authorities for failing to inform them – and claim they have yet to receive any official contact regarding the brutal attack.
Janice Farman, 47, was killed in front of her ten-year-old son during a botched robbery at her home earlier this month.
Three men have appeared in court charged with her murder. Two of them were in court yesterday and were remanded in custody pending trial.
In a letter to Mrs Farman’s friends and colleagues, her mother, Doreen Kerrigan, 71, said serious health issues meant she had been unable to travel to Mauritius, and it was unlikely she would be well enough to attend the funeral.
Mrs Kerrigan and her husband, Alexander, also reveal in the note – seen by BBC reporters – that their daughter’s death has left a ‘huge void’ in their lives, adding: ‘The shock and pain of all this will haunt us all our days.
‘We try to cope by remembering all the good deeds she did throughout her life. The love she shared with so many and her jovial, fun-loving nature. We are both unable to travel to Mauritius and wish to thank all our friends there for assisting us with funeral arrangements, for which we are very grateful.
‘We are confident you will give Janice the send-off which she richly deserves.
‘We feel humbled by the outpouring of love and support we have received from her friends.’
The letter continues: ‘Janice was an outstanding daughter, a devoted mother and a fiercely loyal friend. We are sure she will be remembered by many both in Scotland and in Mauritius for the love and care which she extended to people and abandoned and injured animals. These memories we will cherish forever.’
Mrs Farman, originally from Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, was smothered with a cushion during the late-night break-in on July 6 at her home in the fishing village of Albion, a known crime hot spot.
Her autistic son Gavin witnessed the attack and is believed to have recognised at least one of the killers.
Three-times married Mrs Farman first visited Mauritius in 1999 and moved there after her first husband went there to work. She answered a plea in a newspaper to adopt Gavin when he was only weeks old. Mrs Farman, a director with data services firm PECS (Mauritius) Ltd, moved to Albion on the island’s west coast only a few months before she was killed.
Friends have said she had been considering returning to Scotland to seek better care for her son.
Three men – Anish Soneea, 18, Ravish Rao Fakhoo and Kamlesh Mansingh, both 25 – are accused of involvement in the murder. They returned to the crime scene last week as part of a police reconstruction of alleged events. Mansingh and Fakhoo appeared in court in Port Louis, the capital, yesterday and reapplied for release on bail. Police objected and the judge sent them back to prison, where they remain on remand.
They are due to return to court on August 1.
Last night, Mrs Kerrigan declined to comment at her home in Erskine, Renfrewshire.