Groves family fear trial collapse as covid ravages India

Monday 05 October 2020

The parents of a Guernseywoman killed on a house boat in India seven years ago have shared fears that the trial against the man accused of murdering their daughter will collapse entirely amid a lack of progress after nearly 200 hearings.

In a significant update, Sarah Groves' crestfallen parents, Vic and Kate, announced that they had decided to stop reporting on individual court hearings.

Dutchman Richard de Wit stands accused of murdering her, but the trial against him has failed to meaningfully progress despite 195 scheduled hearings.

With covid-19 now tearing through India at an unprecedented rate and tens of thousands of new cases every day, Mr and Mrs Groves are fearful that the trial could collapse entirely. It has already been more than six months since any progress was made. 

"Since the beginning of the trial relating to the brutal murder of our daughter, Sarah, in Kashmir in 2013, we have issued more than 200 media releases," they said. 

Pictured: Sarah Groves was killed on a houseboat in April 2013. 

"We both believe it has been important to keep the progress of the trial (and, where appropriate, the lack of it) in the public domain. Hence the reason we have issued regular media releases in an effort to ensure that the people of Guernsey, the UK and internationally have been kept informed as fully as possible - not least, the very large number of friends and people who knew and loved Sarah so much."

In the seven-plus years since her death, 36 witnesses have appeared in court, with 10 still to appear.

"Progress has been painfully slow throughout with unnecessary and wholly inexcusable delays at every turn," said Sarah's parents. 

"Most frustratingly, not one shred of non-circumstantial evidence has been presented to the court against the man accused and now, as time has inexorably passed, the Kashmiri legal establishment show little, if any interest in and commitment to ensuring that justice for Sarah is achieved in the foreseeable future."

Pictured: Richard de Wit stands accused of murdering Sarah, however no non-circumstantial evidence has been presented against him.

Kate and Vic said they are both "immensely grateful" to everyone who has contacted them and shown an interest in their pursuit of justice for their daughter.

For the foreseeable future, they have decided not to provide updates on individual court hearings, because of the unlikelihood of any real progress. 

"Kashmir, as part of India, is in the grip of covid-19. The number of people affected there is one of the highest in the world - and growing by the day.  Realistically, there is no way of knowing when any semblance of 'normal’ will resume in the region.

"Consequently, we have decided that, for the foreseeable future we will issue quarterly bulletins instead of reporting on individual hearings, the majority of which are, quite simply, not newsworthy."

Pictured top: Kate and Vic Groves.