The father of a Fife soldier who died on holiday in Portugal now fears he will never know for sure what happened to his son.
It has been 18 months since Lance Corporal Darren Lackie (21), from Cupar, was fatally injured in the Albufeira resort while on holiday with his girlfriend, Ashleigh Wilson.
But despite the Portuguese authorities insisting that Darren, who was a soldier in The Black Watch, died after a fall, his father Graham Lackie remains of the view that he was mugged and then murdered.
Afghanistan veteran Darren was found unconscious with head injuries on March 31 2011, and he died shortly afterwards.
The former Castlehill Primary pupil was hailed as a ”gifted soldier” and a ”tremendous young man” when he was laid to rest in Cupar in April last year.
Mr Lackie does not accept the explanation given by the authorities that Darren’s head injuries were caused by a fall and his argument has been backed by a medical report seen by The Courier indicating that heavy drinking had not been a factor.
The family’s perseverance has already paid off. They successfully pushed for a fresh inquiry that revealed traces of barbiturates had been found in Darren’s blood, leading to suspicion that he had been drugged, robbed and then killed.
But Mr Lackie, a postman now living in Devon, still believes police are covering up his son’s killing to protect the tourist industry in the Algarve resort and following the 18-month milestone fears he will never get to the bottom of what really happened.
”I really feel there’s nothing else I can do,” Mr Lackie told The Courier. ”I don’t have the money to pursue this any further.
”They say he fell. But there are all sorts of glaring inconsistencies.
”For example, they said initially that there were eyewitnesses who’s seen Darren fall over but then they said there were no witnesses.
”They also said that Darren was drunk but then they say he wasn’t. I know for a fact that Darren hadn’t been drinking that night and I know he didn’t fall.
”The only thing tangible is that there was no alcohol in his system. The report states that he had suffered what could have been caused by a severe blow to the head.
”But they’ve chosen to ignore it. No one saw him fall, so how can they say he fell?”
Mr Lackie added Darren’s mobile phone was only found 13 months after he died.
The police told him it had been taken by a maid at the hotel he was staying at.
Darren had injuries to the back of his head and behind his ear. Mr Lackie said doctors told him these injuries were not consistent with a fall.
Toxicology reports showed there was hardly any alcohol in his system, but a rare sedative was present.
Mr Lackie said he remained gripped by a sense of ”injustice”.
He added:”I don’t think me, my ex-wife or my other two sons will ever get over it.
”There’s nothing I can do now. I’ll try and live with it. But there’s nothing I can do. It leaves a bad taste.
”The Portuguese authorities have said they’ll re-examine the case if any other information comes to light.
”But that would have to be someone coming forward, holding their hands up and saying ‘I did it’, and that’s not going to happen, is it?”