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oxymoran
Managing Editor
USA
427 Posts |
 Posted - Feb 18 2008 : 16:09:17
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Heres another British murder mystery breaking in Italy
Briton found dead after lovers' tiff in Venice
By Richard Alleyne and Philip Willan in Rome
Last Updated: 6:11am GMT 18/02/2008 (Telegraph)
The body of a Briton has been found in a canal in Venice after he had a row with his girlfriend on a Valentine's Day trip.
Richard Raynor found dead in Venice
Level headed: Richard Raynor
Italian police said the body of Richard Raynor, 23, a software engineer, was discovered close to where he had been staying with his girlfriend, Katie Robinson, 22.
The victim was identified by his father, Hugh, 52, a captain in the Merchant Navy who flew to the city to help search for his only son.
Alessandro Guiliano, an Italian police officer, said divers found the corpse in a canal under a bridge. He said there were no indications that the death had been violent but "we are not ruling out any hypothesis".
Mr Raynor, who graduated from Lincoln University last year, had been going out with Miss Robinson, a forensic science student, for more than 12 months when they decided to go on a three-day trip to the northern Italian city.
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The couple checked into their hotel on the mainland on Wednesday before going to Venice for dinner and drinks.
But abound midnight, Miss Robinson wanted to get a taxi home while Mr Raynor preferred to wait for the free bus service to the hotel. They separated. She returned in a taxi while he carried on drinking.
They spoke to each other about an hour later when Mr Raynor told his girlfriend he was "lost".
She raised the alarm the next day when he failed to return.
An elderly couple delivered Mr Raynor's mobile phone, passport, wallet and room key to the hotel. It is believed they were found at a bus stop.
The wallet still had money and credit cards in it.
It was feared that Mr Raynor, of Retford, Notts, fell into a canal, but divers at first were unable to find anything.
Miss Robinson, who returned to England to look after her three-year-old son from a previous relationship, said: "I turned around and he had gone, he'd just disappeared.
"He rang me and asked where I was. I told him I was in a taxi. He said 'fine, he'd get one and meet me back at the hotel'."
Speaking before her son's body had been discovered, Mr Raynor's mother, who works for social services, said everybody was "deeply upset" at the disappearance.
Her son, who was 6ft 6ins tall, had been a quiet person who would not disappear without letting them know, she said.
"He is very sensible," she said. "He still lives with us. He is not hot headed and I don't think they had much of a row. She wanted to get a taxi and he wasn't bothered.
"He was so looking forward to the trip. It is the first time they have been abroad together. They care very much for each other."
Mr Raynor had described his son as a "level headed, steady bloke".
"He is a big lad but he is very quiet," the father said. "Any trouble and he would be the first to try to avoid it."
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oxymoran
Managing Editor
USA
427 Posts |
Posted - Feb 20 2008 : 09:56:23
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This makes no sense to me! What does anyone else think?
Sky News
Venice Bridge Death: Briton Drowned
Updated:06:55, Tuesday February 19, 2008
A British man found dead during a Valentine's break in Venice died from drowning in what appeared to be an accident, police have said.
Richard Raynor
Richard Raynor, 23, from Retford, Notts, was discovered in Venice's lagoon after going missing early on Thursday morning.
He had been out with his girlfriend Katie Robinson in the city but vanished as she looked for a taxi to catch back to their hotel.
An elderly couple later returned his mobile, wallet and room key to the hotel. It is not known where the items were found.
An Italian police spokeswoman said: "The post mortem examination has taken place and shows he died of drowning.
[b]"It appears to be an accident. There are no signs of it being a crime or that he hurt himself."
A neighbour of Ms Robinson's mother Carole said the couple were thinking of living together in Doncaster, South Yorkshire.
Alan Dye, 67, who lives next door to Katie's mother in a quiet cul-de-sac in Retford, said: "They were on about moving in together from what I heard.
"It's a nice quiet area, everyone keeps themselves to themselves. Katie is nice enough but she is very private. It's shocking to know about."
Ms Robinson contacted police after returning without Mr Raynor to their hotel, according to reports.
The 22-year-old told The Times the couple had dinner and drinks, then went to the Piazzale Roma to get a taxi back to their hotel.
She said she was talking to a taxi driver when she lost sight of Mr Raynor.
She said: "I turned around and he'd gone, he'd just disappeared.
"He rang me and asked where I was. I told him I was in a taxi. He said, fine, he'd get one and meet me back at the hotel."
She said she had taken her return flight to East Midlands Airport on Friday evening as planned as she had to care for her three-year-old son, from a previous relationship.
Ms Robinson said she had hoped Mr Raynor would go to the airport to catch the same flight but he did not arrive.
Mr Raynor's parents and his girlfriend have released a statement through Nottinghamshire Police.
They said: "We would like to be left alone at this difficult time. We thank everyone for their concern and condolences and thank Italian police and the British consulate for the publicity and support in Venice." |
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oxymoran
Managing Editor
USA
427 Posts |
Posted - Feb 20 2008 : 09:59:51
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Seems his dad agrees with me!
Telegraph
Father of bruised Briton found dead in Venice canal insists his son wouldn't commit suicide
By CHRIS BROOKE -
The father of a Briton found dead in Venice after a Valentine's Day row with his girlfriend has insisted his son would not commit suicide.
Richard Raynor's father's assertion was proved right through a post-mortem examination which revealed his 23-year-old son, who vanished after dinner with his girlfriend and was found beneath a bridge four days later, had drowned and there was no evidence of foul play or suicide.
But the scientific explanation of Mr Raynor's death failed to end the intrigue surrounding the incident, particularly as there was no explanation of why, if he had fallen into the icy water and drowned, his wallet, mobile phone, passport and hotel key were found in a neat pile on a nearby parapet?
Dead: Richard Raynor vanished in Venice after his girlfriend went to look for a taxi
Mr Raynor became separated from his girlfriend Katie Robinson, 22, after they enjoyed a meal and a "couple of bottles of wine" together at the start of a planned three-day break to celebrate their first anniversary. Miss Robinson told police she returned to their hotel in a taxi but her boyfriend never showed up.
He left a message on her mobile phone at 1 am saying he was "lost in nowhere."
Police now believe he fell by accident into the water while walking back to the hotel.
Initially the discovery of his body on Sunday appeared to support the explanation that he had committed suicide after a lover's tiff.
So did the finding of his personal possessions and valuables on dry land 100 yards from where the body was later spotted.
However, his parents have insisted he was a "happy", "fun" and "level headed" man who would not have killed himself.
"Richard never behaved strangely. He was a happy boy," said his father William, who identified his son's body. And a statement from the Italian Police last night also concluded his death was an accident.
A police spokeswoman said: "The post mortem examination has taken place and shows he died of drowning. It appears to be an accident. There are no signs of it being a crime or that he hurt himself."
The third possible explanation - foul play - has been ruled out by the post-mortem findings.
Mr Raynor, a computer software engineer from Worksop, disappeared on Wednesday evening when Miss Robinson went looking for a taxi. They are understood to have disagreed over whether to go back to the hotel as Miss Robinson wanted, or to go for another drink.
Romance turned to tragedy: Mr Raynor's body was found in a canal in Venice after row
Miss Robinson, a forensic science student, told police she assumed he had gone off for a nightcap and took the taxi back without him.
She said he then phoned her to ask where she was and told her he would follow in another taxi. But he never turned up at the Ariston Hotel on the mainland at Mestre.
On Valentine's Day, the next morning, she picked up a message on her mobile left by him at 1 am saying he was lost.
She went looking for him and repeatedly rang his mobile without success until it was answered by her hotel porter at 11.30 am after an elderly couple had handed in his valuables.
Miss Robinson reported him missing to police and still hoped he would turn up when she went to catch her booked flight on Friday evening.
While she returned home anyway to care for her three-year-old son from a previous relationship, her boyfriend's father flew out to help in the search.
Miss Robinson was said to be back home in Retford, Notts, yesterday but too upset to comment.
Neighbours said the couple were planning to set up home together. Alan Dye, 67, said: "I knew she was going out with a lad called Richard. He was a nice lad who used to park his car outside my house when he visited here.
"Katie is a really nice girl, and she and Richard always seemed very happy together. I think they were planning to live together in Doncaster."
Another neighbour said: "They seemed a perfect, doting couple - always happy, smiling and laughing together."
Mr Raynor's parents and his girlfriend released a statement through Nottinghamshire Police in which they said:"We would like to be left alone at this difficult time. We thank everyone for their concern and condolences and thank Italian police and the British consulate for the publicity and support in Venice."
Before his body was found police also said suicide appeared unlikely as Mr Raynor had been described by friends and family as "a normal guy who never showed any signs of depression".
A police spokesman added:"We will provide any assistance required to the Italian authorities if asked to do so, but so far no request has been made." |
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oxymoran
Managing Editor
USA
427 Posts |
Posted - Feb 21 2008 : 11:45:01
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Report: Autopsy shows British man found in Venice lagoon drowned
The Associated Press
Published: February 18, 2008
ROME: The British man whose body was found in Venice's lagoon under a bridge had drowned, the Italian news agency ANSA reported Monday citing a prosecutor.
The prosecutor told reporters that the autopsy had established that Richard John Raynor, 23, had drowned, ANSA said.
"There isn't even the least evidence that would make us think of homicide," Venice Chief Prosecutor Vittorio Borraccetti was quoted as saying.
There was no answer at the hospital morgue where the autopsy was performed Monday afternoon. Prosecutors could not immediately be reached for comment, and Venice police said they had not received the autopsy results.
Raynor had been on a romantic Valentine's Day vacation with his girlfriend when he disappeared after the couple dined together in Venice on Wednesday night.
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His body was found Sunday under a bridge connecting the lagoon city to the mainland, and was identified by his father, who came to Venice to search for his son after he went missing.
Results of toxicology tests to see what Raynor had been eating and drinking before his death will be ready in a few days.
ANSA quoted prosecutors as saying that there are still some aspects to be cleared up, including why Raynor fell into the water. Signs of injuries on the body were a result of the fall, Borraccetti was quoted as saying.
Police said that shortly after the couple had checked in to a hotel in Mestre, a nearby town on the mainland, on Wednesday afternoon, the two went to the historic center of Venice for a night out.
Raynor disappeared while his girlfriend was looking for a taxi to take them back to the hotel. She called his cell phone but found it switched off and contacted police after Raynor did not turn up at the hotel, police said.
An elderly couple returned Raynor's cell phone, wallet and room key to the hotel. The objects were reportedly left in an orderly fashion under the guard rail of the bridge.
William Raynor, the man's father, told Italy's Corriere della Sera daily that Raynor had quarreled with his girlfriend before he disappeared. Police said Monday they could not confirm the claim.
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oxymoran
Managing Editor
USA
427 Posts |
Posted - Feb 21 2008 : 11:48:43
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From THE SUN
Final text from Venice Brit
From ALASTAIR TAYLOR
and ANTONELLA LAZZERI
in Venice
Published: 19 Feb 2008
rigTeaserImage
THE heartbroken girlfriend of a man who drowned on a Valentine’s trip to Venice has revealed how he sent her a last text saying simply: “I’m lost.”
Heartache ... Katie
Richard Raynor, 23, disappeared after a tiff with girlfriend Katie Robinson, 21, during a romantic meal in the Italian city last Wednesday.
Katie had wanted to return to their hotel, but Richard insisted on staying for another drink. She said: “I turned round and he’d gone, he just disappeared. He rang and asked where I was. I told him I was in a taxi. He said ‘fine’, that he’d get one and meet me at the hotel.”
An hour later Richard sent her the text. His body was found in Venice’s lagoon beneath a bridge four days later.
Richard’s mobile phone, passport, wallet — with money and credit cards still inside — and his hotel room key were found lying nearby.
Italian cops believe he was the victim of an accident and had not been killed or committed suicide. The post mortem showed he drowned.
A friend of Katie’s said: “She’s a lovely, loving girl. They were really close. She’ll be in bits.
Tragic
“They’d been together about a year and were celebrating Valentine’s Day. To go as a couple to a place like Venice and return alone with your boyfriend dead is tragic. It’ll take her a long time to get over it.”
Forensic science student Katie and Richard — “Rich” to his pals — planned to set up home together in Doncaster in the next few weeks.
Richard’s gran Eileen Raynor, 79, was adamant yesterday he would NOT have killed himself.
She insisted: “He’d never do anything like that.”
An Italian police spokeswoman said: “It appears to have been an accident.”
VERY BIZARRE!!!! |
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oxymoran
Managing Editor
USA
427 Posts |
Posted - Feb 21 2008 : 11:51:55
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Tribute in a local paper the Worksop Guardian. Still think this is one to keep an eye open for. Dont know why he would end up drowned unless he was highly intoxicated...and why would his personal effects ie his wallet, be found on dry land nearby. Ideas on a postcard!
Retford man found dead in Venice
By Jen Foster
A RETFORD man who went missing in Venice while on a Valentine's Day trip with his girlfriend drowned, say Italian police.
The body of Richard Raynor, 23, who was on a Valentine's Day holiday with his 22-year-old girlfriend Katie Robinson was found underneath a bridge connecting the lagoon to the mainland on Sunday.
Italian news agencies have reported that his death appeared to be an accident and he died of drowning.
The British Consulate in Venice confirmed that Richard's body was still in Italy at the moment and the Foreign Office is in contact with the family.
Mr Raynor was formerly from Spitalfields, Blyth, but his family moved to Little Gringley Lane, Welham, about five years ago.
He had gone missing in the early hours of Thursday morning as the couple were returning to their hotel after a meal.
Mr Raynor's money, passport and mobile phone were found on the bridge about 100 yards away from his body.
It is believed Mr Raynor's father, William, who flew out to Venice when he heard his son was missing, has identified the body.
Richard's parents and his girlfriend released the following statement to the press:
"We thank everyone for their concern and condolences and thank the Italian Police and British Consulate for their publicity and support in Venice."
Katie and Richard, who were celebrating their one year's anniversary, flew out for their romantic break from East Midlands airport last Wednesday.
Before moving to Retford, Richard attended St Mary and St Martin Primary School in Blyth when he lived in Spitalfields.
His neighbours from that time spoke very warmly of Richard and his family.
"He was a really dedicated lad. He was quiet and we never saw him causing an
y trouble," they said.
"We just couldn't have wished for better neighbours."
Richard graduated from the University of Lincoln, where staff and students were shocked to hear of his death.
David Cobham, the university's head of computing and informatics, said: "Staff and students at the University of Lincoln were obviously deeply upset and shocked by this devastating news."
"Richard was a well liked and hardworking student. I worked closely with Richard in his final year as his project tutor and I always found him to be a pleasant and enthusiastic student."
"Richard still kept in contact with the department and recently spoke to us about his plans for the future, so the news of his death is a real shock. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this sad time. |
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oxymoran
Managing Editor
USA
427 Posts |
Posted - Feb 22 2008 : 13:56:01
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'Venice Briton's push to death'
By ANTONELLA LAZZERI
in Venice
TRAGIC Valentine’s Day Brit Richard Raynor may have been pushed to his death in Venice, it emerged last night.
A magistrate probing his fall into a lagoon where he drowned said it was NOT accidental.
Lucia D’Alessandro said: “It’s not a place where you could just fall in, even if you were drunk. We can exclude that he fell by accident.”
She added that it was “strange” Richard’s mobile, passport and hotel key were laid out neatly on the bridge.
Richard, 23, disappeared after a tiff with lover Katie Robinson, 21, following a romantic meal in the Italian city last Wednesday.
She took a cab back to their hotel in Mestre – a district reached by crossing a 1.8mile traffic bridge from which Richard later plunged.
The bridge has a three-foot wall on either side. A pedestrian pathway runs along one side but it is for emergency, not public, use.
Signora D’Alessandro added: “The main thing now is to wait for the toxicological test results and see if he was drunk or had taken other intoxicating substances.”
Richard’s body was found under a mudbank on Sunday. A postmortem confirmed he had drowned.
He and Katie had planned to set up home together in Doncaster, South Yorks, in the next few weeks.
a.lazzeri@the-sun.co.u |
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oxymoran
Managing Editor
USA
427 Posts |
Posted - Mar 01 2008 : 21:31:29
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Man claims to have killed Briton in Venice
By Malcolm Moore in Milan
Last Updated: 3:33am GMT 26/02/2008 Telegraph
A 34-year-old man in Venice has claimed that he killed Richard Raynor, the British tourist who was found dead in the city last week.
# Briton found dead after lovers' tiff in Venice
Mr Raynor, 23, from Retford, Nottinghamshire, disappeared on Valentine's Day after having an argument with his girlfriend Katie Robinson, 21. He was later found underneath a bridge in the city.
Man claims to have killed Briton
Mr Raynor disappeared on Valentine's Day
His autopsy established drowning as the cause of death. However, Italian police are investigating a letter sent to a local branch of RAI, the state broadcaster.
The unsigned letter was postmarked from Venice and had been sent on Thursday.
The author claimed that he had tried to help Mr Raynor, who had lost his way in the city, but that the pair had come to blows because of Mr Raynor's drunkenness.
"I am a 34-year-old Venetian and I have decided to tell the truth about what happened that tragic night," it said.
"I was coming back from Mestre in my car when I saw the figure of a man on the bridge. He was stumbling and I could tell he was drunk. I stopped the car and went to see if I could help."
"He was speaking English and he showed me an SMS on his phone which said: 'I am lost and in the middle of nowhere.'
''He said that he had had an argument with his girlfriend and that she had gone back to their hotel. He said he didn't know where he was or how to get there and showed me his wallet with the keys and the name of the hotel."
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Mr Rayner's keys, mobile phone, passport and wallet were discovered on the parapet upstream by an elderly couple who handed them into police on the night he went missing. The wallet still had his money and credit cards in it.
The letter continued: "I told him to calm down and that I would help him. He then just started to push me and I fell to the floor, where he kicked me. He said I was 'gay' and started holding his genitals the next thing I knew he was lunging at me and so I pushed him, it was self defence and he fell into the water.
"I panicked and I drove away, I was scared because I heard on the news that he had died. I killed him but I want to say that I acted in self defence, he was attacking me."
A spokesman for the police told Italian reporters that they were examining the letter closely to discover whether it was a real confession or merely a prank.
"It we decide it is genuine, we will open an investigation," he said.
Before the arrival of the letter, the police had already closed the case.
Vittorio Borraccetti, the chief prosecutor said that Mr Raynor had drowned and there was "not the least indication to make one think of murder. It appears to have been an accident. There are no signs of it being a crime".
Speaking before her son's body had been discovered, Mr Raynor's mother, Gillian, said her son, who was 6ft 6ins tall, had been a quiet person.
"He is very sensible," she said. "He still lives with us. He is not hot headed. He is a level, steady bloke." |
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oxymoran
Managing Editor
USA
427 Posts |
Posted - Mar 01 2008 : 21:32:54
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Man 'confesses' to killing tourist
Feb 22, 2008
An anonymous man has confessed to killing a British tourist who was found in Venice's lagoon after going missing on a trip to the Italian city with his girlfriend, it was reported.
Richard Raynor, 23, from Retford, Notts, went missing early on Valentine's Day.
He had been out in the city with his girlfriend Katie Robinson, 22, but vanished as she looked for a taxi back to their hotel in the Mestre area. He was found three days later. Italian police have said the post-mortem examination showed he died of drowning in an apparent accident.
However, it was reported that a 34-year-old local man had written anonymously to a local branch of RAI, the state broadcaster. In the letter, passed to the police, he said he had pushed Mr Raynor off the parapet of a bridge in self defence during a quarrel.
Officers are said to be sceptical over the reliability of the letter, thinking it could be the work of a fantasist.
Italian news agency Ansa reported that the letter says the man was driving across the bridge when he saw a striking figure.
He said: "He was walking in a strange way by which I worked out he was drunk. He was shouting meaningless phrases and I understood he was lost. I realised he was speaking English. I stopped the car and went closer, seeking to help."
Mr Raynor showed him his mobile phone on which was a text message saying "I'm in the middle of nowhere" - a detail which has been in the newspapers, Ansa noted. The Englishman then knocked him to the ground and kicked him, the man wrote.
"Then he jumped on to the parapet of the bridge and continued to abuse me, saying I was gay, and pointing to his genitals. I lost my head and pushed him violently. He fell in the water."
The man said he fled the scene in fear, then felt remorseful after seeing the news on television. Mr Raynor's body was found underneath a bridge connecting Venice lagoon to the mainland.
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oxymoran
Managing Editor
USA
427 Posts |
Posted - Mar 26 2008 : 13:53:06
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Wonder if the family are going to keep fighting and investigating as did Ms MacKeown for Ms Scarlett. Heres the last news story dated March 12, describing the funeral.
Venice death man's final farewell
"We must remember that quality of life is not measured in how long it was, but by experiences and love shared along the way."
Revd Mark Cantrill
By Chantal Spittles
PERSONAL snapshots of a young life cut short moved mourners at the funeral of Retford man Richard Raynor on Saturday.
A Valentine's Day weekend ended in tragedy for Richard, 23, of Welham, after he died in Venice while on holiday with his girlfriend, Katie Robinson, last month.
A full congregation of family and friends came together at St John the Baptist Church in Clarborough to share his final memories, in a poignant ceremony led by the Revd Mark Cantrill.
"We have come here today to remember someone very special – someone whose life was tragically cut short – and my thoughts are with everyone at this dreadful time," he said.
"But we must remember that quality of life is not measured in how long it was, but by experiences and love shared along the way."
Richard's coffin was brought into church, bedecked with a blue and white wreath – the strip colours of his beloved football team, Sheffield Wednesday.
And his passion for heavy metal rock music was not forgotten, as The Offspring's Dirty Magic and a Pearl Jam number were played in the opening and closing parts of the service.
This contrasted with the choice of two traditional hymns – The Lord Is My Shepherd and Amazing Grace – which were accompanied by a reading from Corinthians 13.
A table of photographs and mementoes gathered over the years stood at the altar – serving as a focus for Rev Cantrill's moving eulogy.
He spoke of these snapshots as key chapters in Richard's life – from being born and extensive family trips to Europe, through to his school and university days.
Richard's parents, Gill and William, clung to each other during the service and smiled through the tears as Rev Cantrill recalled happier times during Richard's childhood.
He spoke of Richard's sensitive but laidback nature, and remembered the pride of his academic achievements in ICT and technology at Retford's Elizabethan High School and Lincoln University.
And he described the last chapter of Richard's final days as the 'hardest page to turn', saying: "Everything seemed ok and he had his whole, bright future ahead of him."
He added: "Richard loved his life and everything in between, and lived it to the full."
Mr and Mrs Raynor, accompanied by their son's girlfriend Katie, followed his coffin as it left the church to the sounds of Alive by Pearl Jam.
The funeral cortege then left for the short journey to Sherwood Forest Crematorium, Ollerton, for the final goodbye.
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Richard Raynor - Brit found Dead in Venice Canal
