British woman dies after being strangled and set on fire in Barbados

Mother-of-three dies after suffering 75 per cent burns during attack in her own bedroom

Natalie Crichlow was strangled in bed by an intruder before being set fire to, her family say (PA)

A British woman has died in Barbados after being strangled, doused with a flammable substance and set alight while lying in bed.

Natalie Crichlow, 44, was visiting family members when she was attacked by an unknown intruder in her room, her family said.

The mother-of-three suffered 75 per cent burns to her body during the assault, which took place on 28 July. She died in hospital on 6 August.

“The intruder broke in the house, then strangled her and then set her alight,” Ashley Best, Ms Crichlow’s niece, said.

“I do not understand why it happened and we are all in a state of shock.

“She went into hospital and died of her injuries.”

“For someone who had battled through so much to just be taken in this way and lose their life is just beyond understanding,” Ms Best said.

“It is all just a shame.

“She said she wanted to live life to the fullest because her life had nearly been taken from her.”

The Luton-born mother of three had twice survived cancer and had two strokes in the past decade.

Stabroek News in Barbados reported that police are on the hunt for a man who “barged into a house, choked a woman, doused her with a flammable substance and then set the house on fire”.

Ms Crichlow, of Colindale, north London, was openly gay and had three children, aged 10, 20 and 26 years old.

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to try and raise the money needed to bring her body back to Britain.

Family friend Mitra Wikes remembered Ms Crichlow as “a true survivor and warrior who endured so much in life but always kept going and had a true passion for living life to the max no matter what she had gone through”

A Foreign Office spokesman said: “Our staff are supporting the family of a British woman following her death in Barbados, and are in contact with the Barbados police force.”

No arrests have been made in the case, a spokesperson for the Royal Barbados Police Force said.

Additional reporting by agencies