EXCLUSIVEBy Richard SmithTHE mother of a carpenter who was murdered 21 years ago broke down in tears as she paid tribute to her son.Brian Spencer, whose death is being investigated by Suffolk police and Interpol, died on the way to hospital after he was shot in Guyana, South America, in 1982.

EXCLUSIVE

By Richard Smith

THE mother of a carpenter who was murdered 21 years ago broke down in tears as she paid tribute to her son.

Brian Spencer, whose death is being investigated by Suffolk police and Interpol, died on the way to hospital after he was shot in Guyana, South America, in 1982.

A 41-year-old policeman was arrested at his home in Woodbridge on November 10 in connection with the murder. He was given bail for eight weeks and has been suspended from duty.

Mr Spencer, a 21-year-old handyman, was travelling to his home in the village of Buxton, near Georgetown, the capital of Guyana, when he was killed.

His mother, Norma, 67, of Kuru Kuru, near Georgetown, wept as she recalled the life of her eldest son.

Brian Spencer was one of six children and was born on April 5, 1961, in the public hospital in Georgetown.

He grew up in Buxton, a village of about 3,000 people situated a few miles from Georgetown, and attended the Roman Catholic primary school.

Mr Spencer moved to Buxton Community High School before finishing his education in his mid teens and taking up work in the carpentry trade.

“He was very helpful to me. My husband Eric died in 1980 and Brian used to work in Buxton, where he lived, and he would bring up something at weekends for me - money for me to buy what little I needed,” said his mother.

Mrs Spencer, who sells products in the market in Georgetown to earn a living, said she could not afford legal representation after her son's death to discover the circumstances surrounding the shooting or press for an investigation.

She had been unaware there had been an arrest in the police investigation into her son's death until she was told by a friend that the Stabroek News daily newspaper had run the story.

“Somebody bought the paper and gave it to me. I burst into tears,” recalled Mrs Spencer.

Her daughter, Denise, 42, from Buxton, added: “I read the paper and I could not believe that after so many years something had happened. His death was just an unsolved murder, another dead person.

“When he died, I fainted when my mum came and told me. I had a very close relationship with my brother. He was a carpenter, a handyman and did whatever work was available.

“He was a very jovial person. He liked to do pranks or whatever and he used to write songs, but he never got far with them.

“He wrote them at home, but never got to the stage where his music was published. Brian was a very loving brother.”

It has been reported in Guyana that a small team of British police was expected to arrive in the country to help with the investigation into Mr Spencer's death.

A spokesman for Suffolk police said yesterday there were none of its officers there at the moment, but he was unable to comment further about the investigation.

richard.smith@eadt.co.uk