British police are to re-investigate the death of a toddler killed by a speedboat on a crowded beach in the Bahamas. One year on from the second inquest, SARA NELSON speaks to the Gallagher family about their desperate fight for justice ...

TWO-YEAR-OLD Paul Gallagher was asleep in a deck chair at the Atlantis resort with his parents Andrea, 38, and Paul, 41, sister Heather, five, and brother Andrew, one, when an unmanned speedboat veered towards the beach.

The boat struck Andrea's leg and threw Andrew and his buggy 20ft into the air before hitting Paul leaving him with head injuries from the propeller which five days later saw him die.

An initial inquest on the island into the August 2002 fatality returned a verdict of accidental death but a second inquest held at Bromley Magistrates' Court one year ago recorded an open verdict.

Now the Gallaghers, who have branded the Bahamian police "corrupt" and campaigned for the case to be reopened, are hopeful the investigation will finally see justice done.

Nobody has been prosecuted over their son's death, even though neither the boat's owners nor its driver were licensed, registered or insured which the Gallaghers claim is to protect the island's booming tourist trade.

Since the tragedy, the family and ITV have discovered the boat firm, Sea and Ski Ocean Sports, was linked to an accident which saw an American teenager lose an arm as well as two other deaths since 1999.

This year an ITV investigation discovered the firm is still operating at the resort and is now known as Bahamian Water Sports.

Mr Gallagher, of Repton Road, Orpington, said: "The big question is why should the Bahamian Government allows these people to continue?

"They have known about this since 1999. My boy was killed in 2002 and the company is still going. I want to see prosecutions."

The Atlantis resort, which described the incident as a "freaky accident", maintains the Gallaghers are to blame for their son's death for ignoring warnings from lifeguards.

But the Gallaghers say they only heard a warning whistle once the boat was touching the sand and claim to have spoken to six independent witnesses who have confirmed this.

Mr Gallagher said: "The most important thing is myself and Andrea had fingers pointed at us, blaming us for what happened and we want justice.

"We've got to have rest and to move on with our lives. There are a lot of people who should be facing serious charges.

"We are 100-per-cent convinced it is all to do with tourism. If word gets around about this, then tourism won't be so strong.

"A lot of people from Kent are going over there for holidays. We want them to know what it is like out there."

Mrs Gallagher said: "Paul was a very lively two-year-old. He'd been digging on the beach and then he fell asleep.

"My last memory of him is of him giving me a big smile and then closing his eyes.

"He would have been five this year. We are still too upset to visit his grave.

"We haven't even put up a headstone yet, for all this time we haven't been able to grieve."

Two Scotland Yard detectives fly to Nassau at the end of this month to work with the Bahamian police as the case is reopened.