A former London detective allegedly lied about the death of his wife in a Barbados hotel room, Panorama reported in a BBC programme. The wife, 47, died two years ago, and BBC reports said the death was never properly investigated. The inquest in the UK ended with an open conclusion. Panorama said the 54-year-old officer had known the woman after she reported domestic violence to the Metropolitan Police. BBC reports that he then abused her for more than a decade. BBC said the hotel incident was raised after the man phoned reception in June 2024, saying his wife had collapsed. Staff told the BBC they quickly realized the woman was already dead after entering his room. Investigators and hotel staff described multiple inconsistent versions given by the detective. According to those accounts, he claimed she had choked, had fallen and hit her head, or that he found her dead after waking. BBC also reported that forensics were not properly carried out. It said key examinations were not completed and that a pathologist in Barbados “cut up” the woman’s organs for reasons not explained. The BBC said Metropolitan Police did not send detectives to Barbados despite the family’s request for help, because no report of a potential criminal offence was made. After returning to the UK, the man later took his own life in custody at Wandsworth prison, according to BBC. He had been arrested on suspicion of abusing another woman. Legal work and oversight began during the period before his death. The Metropolitan Police suspended him, and an independent oversight body investigated his conduct involving eight alleged victims. BBC said he was never convicted, and that his suspension lasted seven years before he was dismissed in 2023 over criminal offences linked to drugs. Latest status: the death investigation is unresolved, and the former detective died in custody after being arrested on suspicion of further abuse.