True crime podcast to focus on Kirsty’s death in Benidorm
A FORMER senior detective who snared serial killer Peter Tobin believes a couple staying at the same apartments where Scottish holidaymaker Kirsty Maxwell died could provide vital information about her mysterious death.
David Swindle, who is now involved in investigating the deaths of Scots abroad, says the family searching for the truth about their daughter’s death deserve to know what happened to her.
Drawing on his experience in high-profile murder probes, including catching Tobin for the murder of Angelika Kluk in Glasgow in 2006, he formed Victims Abroad.
And, with the recent launch of a podcast titled Swindle’s Search For The Truth, it is hoped the profile of several unsolved cases, including that of Kirsty Maxwell, will be raised thanks to the online series.
While it might be five years on, Mr Swindle still believes that holidaymakers staying at the same resort can help.
Ms Maxwell was with a group of friends on a hen weekend in the holiday resort of Benidorm, Spain, when she died after falling from a 10th-floor balcony on April 29, 2017.
Her parents, Denise and Brian Curry, from Livingston, West Lothian, are still searching for the truth about what happened.
Mr Swindle, who took up the case to help the family, said they discovered that a couple who were staying at the Apartamentos Payma alerted a cleaner that a body was lying by the pool, but it is believed they soon checked out of the apartments.
“This English-speaking couple have never been found, so have never been spoken to, and they could be important potential witnesses,” said Mr Swindle.
“They saw her body lying there.” He added: “There is also a mystery female as well who we believe has never been interviewed by police.
“Foreign travel has opened up again and people tend to be creatures of habit and return to the same places, so that’s why we are still appealing for people to come forward.”
Many questions remain unanswered about how Ms Maxwell died. At 5am, she and two of her friends returned to their apartment where, at 6.50am, one of her friends recorded a video of her sleeping.
However, at some point between 6.50am and 7.50am, when her body was found by the pool, Ms Maxwell had left the apartment, but why she did this remains unknown.
One theory is that she opened the front door by accident or opened the wrong door. The door may have closed behind her and without a key card she may have struggled to get back in. The other is that she may have gone upstairs to ask one of her other friends for toiletries, but both scenarios led her to knocking on the wrong door.
Friends were staying in an apartment above, but it is not known how she ended up at the wrong door or in the wrong apartment.
Mr Swindle said: “There were irretrievable errors made in evidence lost. The Spanish police dealt with this as a potential homicide. However, they did not initiate major crime investigation protocols as we would expect in the UK.
“The first 48 hours, sometimes referred to as the golden hours, are the most important in any major investigation to secure potential evidence.
“There were so many errors – such as CCTV not being gathered, Kirsty’s clothing being destroyed, witness interviews were not followed through, not everyone there at the time was interviewed, and CCTV that was secured was selective.
“There were cameras in that place that would have pieced things together better, but it’s very confusing to piece things together as to what happened.”
In the months following Kirsty’s death, her parents founded a charity in their daughter’s name to help others who have lost loved ones abroad.
The family of a London doctor, whose death in India is still being investigated, sought help and advice from the Kirsty Maxwell Trust.
Alice David-john, whose father died in 2018, is running the Edinburgh half marathon on May 29 to help raise funds for the charity to be able to help others who find themselves in a similar situation.
Ms David-john said: “We are still looking for answers about our father’s death but we wouldn’t have got this far if it hadn’t been for the Maxwell’s help.
“They have been through so much, but are still helping others.
“We just wanted to do something for them and help raise money for the charity.
“I’ll be taking part in the Edinburgh half marathon at the end of May.
“It doesn’t seem enough for what they have done for us, but we just wanted to help.”
There is a mystery female who we believe has never been interviewed by police