UK has abandoned me, says wife of aid worker murdered by terrorists
THE widow of a murdered Scottish aid worker has said she feels abandoned by British authorities.
Dragana Haines, 50, says she has had ‘close to zero contact’ from officials following the killing of her husband David in 2014.
Two Britons are accused of a role in the death of Mr Haines, 44, who was captured in Syria while on an aid mission.
He was one of two hostages taken by an Islamic terror cell dubbed ‘The Beatles’ because of their English accents.
UK nationals Alexanda Kotey, 36, and ElShafee el-Sheikh, 32, face being prosecuted for their roles in killing Western hostages in Syria, including Mr Haines, from Perth.
Both admit being a member of the terror group, but deny involvement in the killings and now face prosecution in America.
Mrs Haines, who lives in Croatia with her ten-year-old daughter Athea, said: ‘I feel forgotten. There’s been close to zero contact from UK authorities in the last four years.
‘Can you imagine spending 18 months knowing your husband has been taken hostage by vicious fanatics, but receiving no information about what, if anything, is being done to save him?
‘The first official contact by somebody from the Embassy was after they published the video in which they threatened David would be next [to die], and that was only because I phoned them and asked if they could share my pleas to UK journalists.’
She added she has not heard from the Government since a condolence letter from David Cameron back in 2014.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office responded to say that they are in contact with Mr Haines’ ‘nominated’ next of kin.
Mrs Haines slammed their response and claims she is being kept in the dark because she lives abroad.
She said: ‘It is nonsense. They don’t seem to know the difference between next of kin and person of contact.’
She added: ‘Everything I know, I find out in the news.
‘I am not receiving any official updates.
Mrs Haines, who has cancer, says she hopes the two accused endure ‘a lifetime of suffering’ and would like to attend the trial, but her health may prevent it. She said: ‘I’d like to look them in the eye. They’ve never shown any remorse.’