Heart attack probably caused cemetery death

By Jean Christou

THE OLD man found dead by four British tourists in a Limassol cemetery on Friday probably died of a heart attack, state pathologist Panicos Stavrianos said yesterday.

The 70-year-old British man, named by police as Peter Vickery, had arrived on the island on January 11 and was staying at a Limassol hotel.

He was probably visiting the grave of a friend at the British military cemetery outside Limassol, Stavrianos said.

The state pathologist said there were no signs of external injuries on the body, which was discovered by the four tourists on a pathway just inside the gates of the Limassol cemetery on Friday lunchtime.

A post mortem scheduled for yesterday was postponed until Monday, Stavrianos said.

He also said a vial of pills had been found in Vickery’s coat pocket. “They may have been for diabetes or heart problems,” Stavrianos said. “You don’t get a well-dressed gentleman walking around with tablets in their pockets for no reason.”

The British tourists initially thought Vickery was asleep and even snapped a couple of pictures.

It was only after they approached the body that they realised he was dead and had probably been there for at least 24 hours.

The four tourists return to the UK today.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.