TWO British nurses who admitted involvement in the murder of an Australian colleague in Saudi Arabia have withdrawn their confessions, their Saudi lawyer said yesterday.
The law firm of Salah al Hejailan said one of the two, women had also retracted an earlier confession of a lesbian relationship with the victim.
The firm said Ms Deborah Parry (41) and Ms Lucille McLauchlan (31) had made the confessions after their arrest on December 20th, nine days after Ms Yvonne Gilford (55) was found stabbed and bludgeoned in her room at the King Fahd military hospital complex in Dhahran.
"Both nurses said that they had provided written statements admitting their involvement in the murder of Yvonne Gilford," said a statement by the law firm issued at the request of the two suspects.
The suspects "said that they had made these statements to the police because they were promised that if they did so they would be allowed to see the British consul, would be sent home in two to three weeks and would not be subject to prosecution in Saudi Arabia," the statement said.
The law firm's statement said a senior police officer had been present at the meetings between the women and the lawyers.
"The written statements [of confessions] included an admission of a lesbian relationship between Deborah Parry and Yvonne Gilford. Deborah Parry vehemently denied to us that such a relationship had existed," the law firm said. "The written statements also included an admission that the two nurses had taken Yvonne Gilford's bank cash card after the murder and had used this to withdraw cash on several occasions over the following days. Both nurses again strongly denied this to us."
Saudi newspapers have said the two were arrested while using the victim's cash card at a mall.
The law firm said both women had arrived in Saudi Arabia only a few weeks before the murder.
"Naturally, having only very recently arrived in Saudi Arabia, both nurses were very confused and apprehensive when they were arrested and charged at the police station with the murder," it said.