‘The worst day of the year and always will be’
FIVE years to the day since the murder of Sarah Groves, her devastated parents have said that it is incomprehensible how the case has been handled.
Vic and Kate Groves have pledged to keep fighting for justice, despite there still being no verdict in the trial of the man accused of their daughter’s murder after more than 100 court hearings being scheduled.
Sarah Groves was 24 when she was stabbed to death on a houseboat in India on 6 April 2013.
‘It’s been five years,’ Mr Groves said.
‘Half a decade. It’s the worst day of the year for us and it will always be the worst day. How it ever came about is still shrouded in mystery and it has shattered our lives.’
The couple have sacrificed holidays and paid to travel to India on numerous occasions to follow the case.
Dutchman Richard de Wit is charged with the Guernsey woman’s murder and the trial has taken four years.
Mr Groves said he was hopeful there might be a result this year, but that it was hard to predict.
The couple have recently stepped up the pressure in a bid to finally see justice.
They have worked with Deputy Jonathan Le Tocq, who has helped them get in touch with the Indian High Commissioner in London, who they hope will raise the issue with the Indian authorities.
A petition launched by the family to get the UK government to step in on the case has got more than 16,000 signatures. The couple are set to meet with the UK minister responsible for Asia Pacific Affairs later this month.
‘This is all going on in the background to try and reach a safe verdict as quickly as possible,’ Mr Groves said.
‘But we don’t want as quickly as possible to be at the expense of a safe verdict.’
When asked how they coped, Mr Groves said they just kept going because there was no other option.
The couple have been the driving force of the Sarah Groves Foundation – a charity focusing on education and young people.
This year it has been a major donor to the regeneration of the children’s library at the Guille-Alles.
More than 80 cyclists are also set to take part in a special fundraising ride to Amsterdam, the Tour de Sez.
‘The foundation is the bright side of our life,’ Mr Groves said.
‘The other side is the dark side. We want to do as much as we can for the local community.’
