Daily Express - 08.08.2019

Daily Express Thursday, August 8, 2019 17

DX1ST

By Michael Knowles

Pictures: GETTY, REX

Due to fly home...Dr Christopher

Dr Natalie Christopher was a keen runner and hiker

Police probe death

riddle of Natalie in

holiday isle ravine

BRITISH scientist Natalie

Christopher was yesterday found

dead in a 65ft ravine after going

missing while jogging on the

Greek island of Ikaria.

The 35-year-old astrophysicist

had gone running on Monday

morning, just hours before she

was due to fly home to Cyprus

with her boyfriend.

Greek authorities yesterday

confirmed they had found her

body half a mile from the apart-

ment the couple were renting.

Dr Christopher, a keen runner

and rock climber, had reportedly

told her boyfriend, “I can’t go

fast. I’ll be back slowly. Don’t

worry”, just hours before friends

and family lost contact with her.

Friends said the Oxford-

educated scientist had been run-

ning in a “remote mountainous

area” of the island.

A major air-and-land search

was launched with island author-

ities joined by specialist teams

after she was reported missing.

Her body was reportedly found

by a volunteer firefighter from

the search and rescue operation.

Greek police spokesman

Theodoros Chronopoulos said:

“The body was found in a ravine,

a small canyon, 600 metres to a

kilometre from the hotel where

the couple were staying.

“We have to await the report

from the coroner, which will take

two to three days.

“This is crucial. At this point

we don’t know how she died.”

Greek media last night claimed

homicide detectives from the

capital Athens had arrived in

Ikaria and taken over the case.

Detectives were also investigat-

ing reports that Natalie and her

boyfriend had slept separately on

Sunday night following a row. A

chambermaid claimed she had

heard arguing. Blood-stained

linen has been sent to a labora-

tory in Athens for testing. Mr

Chronopoulos added: “I cannot

exclude they were arguing.”

The scientist’s 38-year-old boy-

friend said the blotches of blood

were the result of a nose bleed.

Mr Chronopoulos said: “Her

partner called her when he woke

up at 10am and discovered she

wasn’t there.

“They had a conversation and

she said she was out jogging.”

He said the boyfriend became

worried a few hours later when

she did not return. When he

called again, he got no answer.

Police said her mobile, which

had been off shortly after she

was reported missing, was briefly

switched on 24 hours later –

providing a focus point for the

search – but it was unclear who

had activated it.

The area of Ikaria where she

was reportedly running has paths

along steep sea cliffs. She moved

to Nicosia from London 11 years

ago and was a researcher at the

European University Cyprus.

Show curse...Beverley Turner urged James Cracknell not to do Strictly

James on morning TV yesterday with reality star Gemma Collins

Oarsome... James jumps at

Strictly after marriage split

JAMES Cracknell is finally

doing Strictly, following his

split from wife Beverley

Turner earlier this year.

The champion rower, 47,

had turned the dance show

down last year because his

then wife, TV presenter

Beverley, 45, was worried

about the “Strictly curse”.

Cracknell told ITV’s

Good Morning Britain

yesterday that it

was “part that and partly

she felt sorry for the dancer

with broken feet”.

Fourteen celebrities have

split from partners after

being on the show,

including Stacey Dooley,

Louise Redknapp and

Seann Walsh.

James and Beverley, who

have three children,

announced in March their

17-year marriage was over.

Since agreeing to do the

show, the double Olympic

gold medal-winner said his

family are now “really

embarrassed for me”.

But he is not afraid of

skimpy costumes after

spending “15 years hanging

around in Spandex”. This

year’s line-up also includes

former women’s football

star Alex Scott, Made In

Chelsea’s Jamie Laing and

Paralympian Will Bayley.

Anneka Rice, 60, is also

taking part but said: “I

haven’t danced since I was

seven and sent home by

Miss Beer from my ballet

class because I was

hopelessly unco-ordinated.”

By Kelly Allen

Embarrassed

THE father of murdered
schoolboy Damilola
Taylor last night warned
that people “don’t value
life” anymore, with
killings now seen as “an
everyday occurrence”.
Richard Taylor spoke
out as he also urged
people to tell police who
had killed seven-year-old
Joel Urhie in a “callous”
arson attack in
Lewisham, south-east
London, a year ago.
Speaking alongside
Joel’s mother Efe,
Mr Taylor said there had
been more public
outrage over his own
son’s death back in 2000.
Damilola, 10, was
found dying in a stairwell
near his home on North
Peckham estate, south-
east London, after being

Damilola’s

dad: Find

the killers

of Joel, 7

Victim... Joel Urhie, 7

stabbed in the leg with a
broken bottle by a gang
of youths.
Ms Urhie told how her
autistic son had frozen in
fear, as flames spread
through their house,
instead of jumping as
she and his sister waited
to catch him below.
She said: “I am
begging people to speak
out. Let your conscience
bring you out. He
deserves justice.”
Mr Taylor added: “It is
the same thing that
happened during the
Damilola Taylor
investigation, the whole
community knew about
what happened.”
He said: “People don’t
value life – because of
the number of tragedies
and stabbings, it is
regarded as an everyday
occurrence now.”
A £10,000 reward is
being offered for
information leading to
the arrest of the killers.
Two men were held on
suspicion of murder,
attempted murder and
arson with intent to
endanger life last August
but were released under
investigation.
Detective Chief
Inspector Mark Wrigley
said: “There are people
who know exactly who
is responsible for Joel’s
death. I need them to
call me now.”