Newly-wed’s Caribbean cliff fall as she picked herbs on Christmas Day ‘was accident’

  • Sarah Thomas plunged 100ft to her death hours after returning from an all-night party on Christmas Day
  • She had been married for five months and quit career as City tax lawyer to move to St Lucia

By
James Tozer

Last updated at 12:15 AM on 2nd January 2012

The family of a high-flying lawyer who plunged 100ft to her death from a cliff on a Caribbean island where she lived with her new husband said yesterday they accepted it had been an accident.

Sarah Thomas, 46, is said to have been picking herbs from the garden of her villa in St Lucia on Christmas Day hours after returning from an all-night party with her husband Kevin, 36, when she slipped.

Mrs Thomas, who had been married for five months, had given up a lucrative career as a City tax lawyer and was hoping to start a family.

Sarah at her wedding to Kevin Thomas who lost her footing while picking herbs from the garden of her villa in St Lucia at 10am on Christmas Day

Sarah at her wedding to Kevin Thomas five months ago. She is believed to have lost her footing while picking herbs from the garden of her villa in St Lucia at 10am on Christmas Day

Police on the island initially said they were investigating whether there was any suspicion of foul play, but have now concluded it was a tragic accident.

A post-mortem examination confirmed that Mrs Thomas died from head wounds from her fall. Yesterday her devastated parents William and Christine Pickering and sister Alison said they accepted the police findings and wanted her to be laid to rest on the island.

‘She will be buried in St Lucia, where her heart is,’ said Mrs Pickering, of Ashton-on-Ribble, Lancashire. ‘We wish to make it clear that there has been a full police investigation and we believe that Sarah’s death is just the result of a terrible accident.’

She added: ‘Sarah had been incredibly happy with Kevin. St Lucia was her home. She moved there in 2010 and had a wonderful wedding last summer. She loved Kevin and loved the island.

‘Words can’t express what we feel at the loss of our lovely daughter.’

A post-mortem confirmed Mrs Thomas died from head wounds after falling from this cliff. Her husband was seen pacing around the clifftop with his head in his hands shortly after the tragedy

A post-mortem confirmed Mrs Thomas died from head wounds after falling from this cliff. Police initially said they were investigating whether there was any suspicion of foul play, but have now concluded it was a tragic accident

Mrs Thomas left her job as a managing director of tax advisers Alvarez Marsal Taxand in 2010. She set up home with her husband, who is believed to be unemployed, in the village of Piaye where he grew up. She also had a £1million house in Clapham, South London.

The couple met when she was on a business trip to New York where Mr Thomas was working and moved to the village, which is rarely visited by tourists.

They had gone to an all-night party nearby on Christmas Eve before returning to their £350,000 clifftop villa. At 10am on Christmas Day Mrs Thomas’s body was found at the bottom of the cliffs, apparently after slipping while collecting herbs from the garden to make gravy.

Neighbours saw Mr Thomas pacing around the clifftop with his head in his hands shortly afterwards.

One neighbour, Eunice Sylvester, 34, said: ‘From the herb plant to the edge of the cliff is about ten yards. Nobody really knows what happened.’

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