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| Fran Rossiter death inquest: Unlawful killing verdict | Fran Rossiter death inquest: Unlawful killing verdict |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| A British grandmother was murdered by robbers in Egypt after moving to the country to be with her young lover, an inquest has heard. | A British grandmother was murdered by robbers in Egypt after moving to the country to be with her young lover, an inquest has heard. |
| Fran Rossiter, 69, from Burnham-on-Sea, travelled to Hurghada three years ago to live with husband Sayyid Jamal Sayyid Shalaby, 26, a local fisherman. | Fran Rossiter, 69, from Burnham-on-Sea, travelled to Hurghada three years ago to live with husband Sayyid Jamal Sayyid Shalaby, 26, a local fisherman. |
| She was found dead in her flat in June 2012, wrapped in a sheet in a cupboard. | She was found dead in her flat in June 2012, wrapped in a sheet in a cupboard. |
| Coroner Michael Rose ruled Ms Rossiter had been unlawfully killed in what he described as "a tragic case". | Coroner Michael Rose ruled Ms Rossiter had been unlawfully killed in what he described as "a tragic case". |
| Married his cousin | Married his cousin |
| "She was by all accounts a bright woman. She had gone out to Egypt on holiday and may have fallen for a somewhat younger Egyptian," the coroner for West Somerset added. | "She was by all accounts a bright woman. She had gone out to Egypt on holiday and may have fallen for a somewhat younger Egyptian," the coroner for West Somerset added. |
| "I think probably at the beginning it was a happy relationship. I don't know if he was intending to fleece her or just better himself. | "I think probably at the beginning it was a happy relationship. I don't know if he was intending to fleece her or just better himself. |
| "It is not for me to say whether he betrayed her, it may be that he had. I don't know." | "It is not for me to say whether he betrayed her, it may be that he had. I don't know." |
| Ms Rossiter paid Mr Shalaby - whom she married in an Egyptian civil ceremony called an Orfi - an allowance of £200 a month and more than £15,000 for cars and other items, the inquest heard. | Ms Rossiter paid Mr Shalaby - whom she married in an Egyptian civil ceremony called an Orfi - an allowance of £200 a month and more than £15,000 for cars and other items, the inquest heard. |
| She also transferred a half share of her Egyptian apartment to him. | She also transferred a half share of her Egyptian apartment to him. |
| But Ms Rossiter discovered the money was actually being used to fund a new life for Mr Shalaby and his new wife - a cousin he had also wed in an arranged marriage. | But Ms Rossiter discovered the money was actually being used to fund a new life for Mr Shalaby and his new wife - a cousin he had also wed in an arranged marriage. |
| The hearing was told their relationship became strained when Mr Shalaby became abusive and began demanding money to send to his family. | |
| The mother-of-three decided to leave Egypt for good and told friends in England she would be returning home to Highbridge on 5 July. | The mother-of-three decided to leave Egypt for good and told friends in England she would be returning home to Highbridge on 5 July. |
| 'Intelligent woman' | 'Intelligent woman' |
| But on 8 June last year, Ms Rossiter's sheet-wrapped body was discovered hidden in a bedroom wardrobe at her apartment. | But on 8 June last year, Ms Rossiter's sheet-wrapped body was discovered hidden in a bedroom wardrobe at her apartment. |
| The inquest was told she had been strangled with a cord and her neck was broken. | The inquest was told she had been strangled with a cord and her neck was broken. |
| Egyptian authorities believe Ms Rossiter was the victim of a burglary by two local men - friends of Mr Shalaby - who plotted to murder her and steal items from her flat. | Egyptian authorities believe Ms Rossiter was the victim of a burglary by two local men - friends of Mr Shalaby - who plotted to murder her and steal items from her flat. |
| A third person - the wife of one of the men - is alleged to have taken the items, knowing that they had come from a murdered woman, to sell them on. | A third person - the wife of one of the men - is alleged to have taken the items, knowing that they had come from a murdered woman, to sell them on. |
| All three defendants deny the charges against them and investigations in Egypt are on-going. | All three defendants deny the charges against them and investigations in Egypt are on-going. |
| Ms Rossiter's friend Paula Hopley, from Bridgwater, told the inquest Ms Rossiter had been left "a shell of the character she had been" by the marriage. | Ms Rossiter's friend Paula Hopley, from Bridgwater, told the inquest Ms Rossiter had been left "a shell of the character she had been" by the marriage. |
| "She had always been a gregarious character, full of life and social and was a friend to everybody," she added. | "She had always been a gregarious character, full of life and social and was a friend to everybody," she added. |
| "She had lost a great deal of weight. On paper it might sound as if she was extremely naive but she was an extremely intelligent woman. | "She had lost a great deal of weight. On paper it might sound as if she was extremely naive but she was an extremely intelligent woman. |
| "He became threatening and aggressive, the friends he was bringing back to the flat she was extremely intimidated by. She was not easily intimidated." | "He became threatening and aggressive, the friends he was bringing back to the flat she was extremely intimidated by. She was not easily intimidated." |
| A post-mortem examination found Ms Rossiter died from asphyxia by strangulation and her body has since been returned to England. | A post-mortem examination found Ms Rossiter died from asphyxia by strangulation and her body has since been returned to England. |
| Prosecutors in Egypt continue to investigate the death, the coroner added. | Prosecutors in Egypt continue to investigate the death, the coroner added. |