The family of a young Nottinghamshire mum who was found stabbed to death in Italy have won fresh Government backing in their bid to re-open the case.
Claire Martin, 30, suffered multiple knife wounds to her neck in March 2012, outside the family home of her Italian fiance, 50 miles outside Naples.
Italian police investigated but officials later ruled Claire’s wounds were self-inflicted and officially recorded it as likely to be a suicide.
But her parents Pat and Ray Martin, from Sutton-in-Ashfield, have always believed she was murdered and are campaigning for the case to be re-examined.
Now the family have won support from a Home Office pathologist, who says the Italian authorities need to take a second look at the evidence.
Dr Stuart Hamilton said: “While it would be physically possible to do it [stab] yourself, looking at this if I was briefing a senior investigating office at this autopsy I would be suggesting that you need to go and find the murderer.”
Ashfield MP Gloria De Piero has previously pledged support to the family and Mr and Mrs Martin have been requesting and reviewing documents from the case in an attempt to convince police in Italy to act.
This week they have also won backing from the new Minister for Europe, Sir Alan Duncan.
He told BBC programme Inside Out: “The Foreign Office has been trying to do its best on this now for nearly five years. I mean it is the most harrowing case.
“It’s very frustrating for me as a minister and for Gloria as a Member of Parliament not to be able to do more, but we are dealing with another country’s judicial system.”
He added: “This just looks wrong, there’s a smell about it which is not nice. And just to close the case and say, ‘oh it was suicide’, is clearly not true and therefore I think we have to do all in our power to challenge the verdict.”
Mrs Martin told Notts TV in October: “It’s taking the toll on us, sometimes we think ‘shall we just let it all go?’ but we need justice for Claire.”
The couple hope to use the fresh support to trigger a new official review of the case later this year.
Claire was living in Italy after meeting her Italian fiance Diego Mascolo 13 years previously.
The couple had a son, Alex, who was cared for by his father following Claire’s death.
Italian Police have repeatedly declined to comment on the case.
East Midlands Inside Out appears on Monday 27th February at 7.30pm on BBC One.
