Luke Walker denied bail over girlfriend murder charge

A Black Country man charged with beating his girlfriend to death in Crete has been refused bail.

Luke Walker, aged 22, of Brierley Hill, denies murdering Chelsea Hyndman, aged 20, his girlfriend of three years. He is currently behind bars in a Greek prison. Today he was being told that a bail application, lodged at the beginning of August, has been turned down.

His elder brother Ryan, 28, said the family were told yesterday evening and had to wait until today to break the news over the phone.

He said the family were struggling to cope with the decision. "We were absolutely convinced he would get bail," he said.

"The whole family is over here, and they're not good. It's devastating. We don't know what to do.

"It's especially tough not being able to tell him face to face. Due to the visiting rules, we won't be able to see him until Monday." He said the application had been heard by a panel led by the same judge who had increased the charge against Walker from assault to murder with intent.

According to the family's solicitor, the judge refused bail because she said she still believes that Miss Hyndman died from a "violent" blow to the stomach, which was the initial conclusion drawn by Greek doctors following her death in May.

Walker has maintained that she was injured when she fell down a flight of steps while on a girls' night out. He claims that her condition worsened over the following few days before she eventually had to be rushed to hospital.

Ryan added: "The judge also said she was refusing the application as Luke has not pleaded guilty yet, meaning he shows no remorse.

"It's crazy - if he hasn't done anything wrong, he's not going to plead guilty." The family and their solicitor are preparing to file an appeal next week but it could be another month before a decision is made.

In the meantime, Ryan said, the battle to obtain vital evidence in the case - including medical notes from Miss Hyndman's stay in hospital and post mortem photographs - was continuing.

"It's more important than ever for us to get hold of that now," he added.

Miss Hyndman, from Castleford, West Yorkshire, died in intensive care after an emergency operation for ruptured internal organs.

The couple had met three years ago while working as bar reps in the holiday resort of Malia, and friends and family have said they were inseparable, taking it in turns to visit one another every weekend.

They had returned to the island to look for summer work.