Friends visit Spain to mark anniversary of Kirsty’s death
● Emotional journey one year after newlywed dies in fall from hotel balcony
Friends of Kirs ty Maxwell have made an emotional pilgrimage back to Benidorm a year on from her tragic death.
Mystery still surrounds the final moments leading up to the death of newlywed Kirsty, 27 and from Livingston, who plunged from a tenth floor hotel balcony.
Her friends returned to the resort yesterday to hand out fliers, put up posters and help launch an online campaign in an attempt to find answers.
On friend, Carolynn Burke, 29, said: “It’s incredible the difference one person can make in your whole life and how empty it feels without them.”
Tragedy struck at the Apartmentos Payma after a night out to celebrate Carolynn’s hen party a year ago.
Five men from Nottingham were in the roomKirstyf ell from. They were questioned by Spanish police but never charged.
David Swindle, a former detective assisting the family, said yesterday: “The key to this, to me, is in Nottingham.
“There were a large group of men from Nottingham here, there were over 50 of them.
“Some of them were in the room with Kirst y before she died, and some were staying at the Payma Apartments.”
Friend Kerry Lang ton ,27, walked home with Kirsty and put her to bed that night.
“We got home safe. She was in bed safe.
“That’s the worst thing about all this, we did what we always do, we looked after each other. You think you’re in your room, she’s tucked up in bed, we were safe.
“There are so many ‘ What ifs ’. But we were as sensible as we could have been and yet something tragic as this still happened.”
Nobody knows how Kirst y woke up and ended up in another room. Les le y-Anne Watson, 28, was a bridesmaid for Ms Burke, along with Kirsty.
“That night we just had so much fun, having a drink and a dance, taking selfies.
“It’s horrible looking back on them now.
“You never think that when you’re taking those pictures that it’ll be the last time you’re going to have a picture taken with Kirsty.
“You think this isn’t real. It’s the strangest feeling ever.”
Ms Watson said she was haunted by seeing her friend’s body that morning.
“That S at urday morning I got woken by a banging on the door. There were police officers in the corridor. I walked round the apartment to the opposite side and looked out the window andKirstyw as just lying at the pool. That’s something t hat I never ever thought I’d have to look at or have to see.
“That image for weeks, if not months, was in my head. Why two hours after it happened she was still lying there? I’ ll never know. I was in a state of shock.”