Luke Walker Crete murder trial delay 'regrettable'
The issue of a Black Country murder suspect imprisoned in Greece for more than 150 days without a trial date has been raised in the House of Commons.
Luke Walker of Brierley Hill, West Midlands, is accused of murdering his 21-year-old girlfriend Chelsea Hyndman.
Miss Hyndman, of Castleford, West Yorkshire, died in Crete on 17 May.
Prisons Minister Crispin Blunt told the House the delay was a cause of regret, but said the Foreign Office was working with the Greek authorities.
Addressing the minister in Parliament on Tuesday, Stourbridge MP Margot James (Conservative) said: "My constituent Luke Walker has been imprisoned on the island of Crete for 150 days and his defence team has been constantly frustrated by the denial of information which should rightfully be theirs."
Mr Blunt, the parliamentary under-secretary of state for prisons and youth justice, said: "It is of course a matter for great regret that delays are occurring in the exchange of information between the Greek authorities and coroners in England and Wales, and that can only increase the distress felt by everyone involved in such cases.
"We are working with the Foreign Office and the Greek authorities to try to improve the situation so that an inquest can be concluded without further delay," he added.
Mr Walker is accused of beating Miss Hyndman to death and has been denied bail.
A British pathologist has suggested she may have died as a result of an earlier fall in the street while out drinking with friends.