THE heartbroken mum of a British policewoman who died while on holiday in Corfu is still desperately fighting for answers two years on.
Sarah Warner, the grieving mum of Hannah Byrne, 22, says she feels let down by both Greek and UK authorities who have so far failed to explain how her daughter fell and hit her head.
16
16
16
16
Surrey police officer Hannah was on the first night of her holiday with a friend in Kavos when she fell several metres on September 1, 2023.
Dog lover Hannah, from Horley, was found on the side of a main road the next morning by a passerby after suffering a fatal head injury.
But after an agonising two years, her devastated family still do not know why Hannah fell or what happened in her final moments.
Mum-of-two Sarah believes two British teenage girls – who authorities have still not spoken to – could be holding the answers they need.
Fighting back tears, Sarah, 52, told The Sun: “I haven’t been able to start to grieve.
“I get told a lot about how resilient and strong I am. But I feel very much I have no choice, because if I go down that road it’s going to be quite difficult to pull me back. And I have a job to do.”
Sarah and her loved ones – including son Ollie, 22, and niece Lauren, who was also Hannah’s best friend – have been working tirelessly to find out what happened.
Greek authorities at the time said they believed her injuries were compatible with an “accidental fall” and were investigating whether she had mistakenly drunk alcohol laced with methanol.
Toxicology testing proved the latter not the be the case, and Sarah is determined to find out whether Hannah’s fall was accidental or not.
Sarah added: “It feels that from very early on it was just convenient to say Hannah was a drunk Brit, tripped over and died.
“And that’s what we’ve battled against the whole way through.”
Greek police initially told Sarah that Hannah – who loved country music and making TikTok dance videos – had tripped on the pavement and banged her head.
We deserve to know what the last few minutes of Hannah’s life were like
Sarah Warner
But the family tracked her phone, which police said they couldn’t find, and traced it to the roof of an apartment building.
Sarah explained that on the night of Hannah’s death, she and her friend had become separated and CCTV showed her daughter trying to find her way back to their hotel.
She then went to a bar with two British teenagers, and CCTV later showed the three of them climbing up a ladder of an apartment building.
But further footage showed only two people climbing back down, with Hannah’s body found the next morning on the pavement.
16
16
16
16
The third-generation police officer’s phone was found on the roof, along with a bracelet that did not belong to her.
Sarah believes the two teenagers, who are now 16 and 18, could hold key information.
She said: “We just want answers for the last few minutes of Hannah’s life.
“We thought the girls would be interviewed quite early on. But without the two girls being spoken to, the investigation can’t be concluded.
“And without it being concluded and the file sent over to the UK, they can’t hold Hannah’s inquest.”
Sarah shared a direct appeal to the teenagers, explaining that they just want to know what happened to her beloved daughter.
The mum said: “My message is please come forward and speak to either initially their local police department – or reach out and contact us and we can put them in contact with the foreign office.
“But please come forward, we deserve to know what the last few minutes of Hannah’s life were like.
“And I hope they were amazing. I hope she was just up on the roof dancing and singing – but we just have absolutely no idea.
“Please come forward so we can get this concluded, have Hannah’s inquest, and then we can stop fighting. We can just carry on, grieve and remember her instead of always having this looming over.
“My son said to me a couple of weeks ago that he feels quite guilty if he has a good day and he shouldn’t feel like that.
“And eventually you learn that grief can exist next to happiness.
“But at the moment, you’ve also got this big concern of trying to get the right thing done for Hannah.”
16
16
16
16
Files held by Greek police have only just been translated into English and have still not been sent to British authorities.
But until the investigation is completed in Greece, Hannah’s inquest can’t be held in the UK – meaning it has been repeatedly delayed, causing further anguish for her family.
They have reached out to the UK’s foreign office, and were advised to hire a solicitor in Corfu as they were unable to offer much help.
Dorking & Horley MP Chris Coghlan wrote to the foreign office earlier this month, urging them to step in and help resolve delays.
He said he has not had a response.
Mr Coghlan told The Sun: “I am deeply concerned that the UK Coroner is still waiting for the Greek case files two years after Hannah’s tragic death.
“Hannah’s family deserves answers and I have asked the government to intervene.”
When approached by The Sun with concerns raised, a foreign office spokesman said: “We are supporting the family of a British woman who has died in Greece and are in contact with the local authorities.”
You felt special and safe in her presence, and she just made you enjoy life
Lauren Warner
As the brave family fight for answers, they take time to reflect on Hannah’s memory and the lasting impact she has had on their lives.
Sarah told how her last words to Hannah as she left for the airport at 3.30am were “love you, bye” – a fond memory she will forever cherish.
Describing Hannah as “her shadow from a young age”, the proud mum said her daughter joined the police force months before her retirement in August 2022.
“I was so, so proud of her,” Sarah said.
“She caught a shoplifter when she was about 10 or 11 outside the local petrol station. From a very young age, she knew she wanted to be in the police.
“We all think our kids are amazing, but Hannah, she was amazing. She was a really lovely girl, she would do anything for anyone.”
Sarah described how Hannah was in a “really good place” before her holiday – having got back with her childhood sweetheart and embracing her career.
16
16
The mum added: “She absolutely loved the job that she did.
“I’ve had messages from people saying how Hannah helped them – one woman told me last week that she saved her daughter’s life when she was having a mental health crisis.
“And that just reinforces what Hannah was like. Nothing was ever too much for her.
“Our family motto is f*** it, what would Hannah do. Because she just made the most of every day.
“We celebrate her, and when it’s her birthday we go away as a family.
“We have really sad moments with the sparklers and chatting to her up in the sky. But then we finish it off with drinking games, as if she was still here.
“I just feel like we’re doing Hannah a massive disservice by not finding out the truth.”
Hannah also doted on her family, including her cousin and best friend Lauren’s young son, Jenson – who lovingly called her Auntie Hannah.
Lauren, 29, said: “We’re all grateful for Hannah, we wouldn’t even have half the picture that we have of the family if it wasn’t for Hannah.
“She always just made a moment out of everything, found something special in everything.
“You felt special and safe in her presence, and she just made you enjoy life.
“When I had a child, I think she was the second mum of Jenson. She had time for everyone.”
16
16
