SuppliedThe mother of a Nottingham man said she was “traumatised” when she went to identify her son, only to find the wrong body had been flown more than 6,000 miles (9,650km) to the UK from Cambodia.
Maureen Thompson, from Strelley, said the police turned up at her door on 9 May with the news her son Kevin Nightingale had been found dead at his home in the Takeo province.
Arrangements were made for Cambodian firm Evergreen Funeral Services to repatriate 39-year-old Kevin but a month later Miss Thompson and two of her sons went to identify the body and instead found a man in his 70s.
She said: “I would not like it ever to happen to anyone else.”
The mother-of-five told the BBC Kevin’s body was found on 3 May, but he had died two days earlier.
She said the Cambodian authorities told the family he had suffered a heart attack as he fell at home.
“Kev’s dad raised £7,500 to get him back over here,” she said.
“When we went to view what we thought was my son we just could not believe it was somebody else, it was a Canadian man in his 70s.
“Me and my two sons Sean and Pat – Kev’s brothers – were horrified and traumatised.”
Kevin’s dad Stephen Nightingale said: “I was up all night trying to sort it. All we got back was a culture of denial and blaming everybody else.
“They asked if we could send a photo to show it wasn’t Kevin.
“Then I got correspondence saying he would be flying home.”
Miss Thompson added: “The shock – how can you do that? A 77-year-old to a 39-year-old. There is a massive difference.
“It was bad enough to know he passed away but when it was somebody else, I was so petrified in case the bloke’s family had Kev and in case he got cremated over there.”
SuppliedMiss Thompson said: “We had to wait then until, I think, it was June until we finally got Kev back over here.
“When me, Sean and Pat went to view him, we were absolutely horrified with how decomposed he was.”
She said “they had embalmed him too late” and Mr Nightingale said: “He hadn’t been embalmed until they realised the mistake.”
His body was then sent to the coroner before they were able to have a funeral for him on 25 July, Miss Thompson said.
The 59-year-old added: “It has been such a long time from May to get him back here. I would not like it ever to happen to anyone else, it is not right.”
Evergreen Funeral Services has since refunded the family the cost of the repatriation.
SuppliedMiss Thompson said her son had been teaching English in Cambodia for about 10 years.
“He loved his job,” she said. “He was known as the handsome teacher out there – they all loved him.
“I just don’t want it to happen to anyone else. It has taken us down a dark, deep hole.”
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office confirmed it had supported the family of a British man who died in Cambodia, adding the British Embassy had no affiliation or partnership with Evergreen Funeral Services.
Phnom Penh-based Evergreen Funeral Services has been contacted by the BBC for comment.
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