Luke Walker family: We're in shock over guilty verdict

Eighty-year-old Betty Walker told the Express & Star moments after last night's conviction that relatives were struggling to come to terms with what had happened in a Crete courtroom almost 2,000 miles away.

But she said they were relieved that at least 25-year-old Luke would be able to return home, once the family has raised the necessary bail money, after he appealed against the guilty verdict for the reduced charge of GBH leading to death.

Mrs Walker, who lives in Cradley Heath, told the Express & Star: "No-one can take it in.

"The whole family is in complete shock. I don't understand how it has happened.

"We never expected this to happen. Luke has said all along that he is innocent.

"He has appealed but the family needs to find the money for the bail – it just seems like a money-making scheme to me.

"We just want him home now. I have spoken to his father Patrick and he said they couldn't believe what has happened."

Mrs Walker said she was in regular contact with Patrick and would be hoping to hear today when they will return to the UK.

The news of Luke's guilt has also left the community reeling after there had been hope that he would cleared of causing his girlfriend, 20-year-old Chelsea Hyndman's, death.

Among them was Dave Homer, aged 59, of Withymoor Estate, Brierley Hill, who organised a pork pie festival to raise funds for Luke's fight to clear his name.

He said: "I'm dumbfounded – speechless.

"Along with everyone else, I had the story of how Chelsea fell and then became unwell after that night out and never really recovered.

"From what I read of some of the evidence given to the court that nobody could substantiate, I am astounded at this verdict."

Mr Homer said he only came to know Luke and his family after offering to organise the pork pie competition, which was held at the Tenth Lock pub in Brierley Hill in March.

He said: "We knew his dad vaguely but we as a family wanted to help them because I kept thinking – what if this was happening to one of my children?"

Company director Jonathan Round, aged 40, who lives in Coseley and last saw Luke in The Corn Exchange pub, Amblecote Road, Brierley Hill, said the community had been left shocked by the outcome.

"It seems to be a shotgun verdict," he added.

"People were very supportive of him and are very surprised it was such a quick verdict.

"The family have had the spectre of him going to jail hanging over them. I would expect there to be some sense of relief that's gone."

Some of Luke's supporters took to Twitter after hearing the news, including Lee Raynor, of Dudley, who said: "Not the verdict we were hoping for in Malia."

To many of their friends and family, Luke and Chelsea were living the dream of many a young couple – working on the sunshine island of Crete and partying hard with their wide circle of friends. Most of those friends and their families believed they were the ideal couple, with Luke's father, Patrick, describing them as 'soul mates'.

But the couple's charmed life on the Greek island came to a sudden and catastrophically tragic end on May 17, 2010, when Chelsea died in hospital in the Cretan capital of Heraklion.

Luke, then aged 22, was arrested, even before she breathed her last breath. And, since then he has lived what he described to the Express & Star as a 'rollercoaster nightmare' as he tried to prove he was innocent.

During the two-day trial the court heard allegations of a darker side to their relationship, with a neighbour in their apartment block in Malia, Eda Quirici, claiming to have often heard 'intense arguments' between them.

But Lyndsay Williamson, who had been friends with Chelsea since 2007 and was called to give evidence at Luke's trial, said: "He loved her 100 per cent. My impression of Luke was the same as Chelsea's impression of Luke – they wanted to be together, they wanted a future together, they wanted to get married, they wanted to have children."

And Miss Williamson's partner, James Sharp, said: "We did a lot of things together as partners, me and my partner and Luke and Chelsea together. Going round for barbecues...it was a good relationship."

Another friend, Louise Purdy, told the court she believed Chelsea's injuries were caused when she fell to the ground on a cobbled street during a drinking game that went horribly wrong as they were on a girls' night out.

Asked what he thought was the reason for her death, Luke, who gripped the edge of the witness box as he gave his testimony last night, said: "All I know is that I stand here trying to tell you what I know. I know I'm innocent. I'm here to clear my name."

His voice breaking with emotion, he said Chelsea was his 'whole life', he would never have hurt her, and never did. "I don't know how she died. I can't answer that question, but I know I'm innocent."

The court heard that in the lead-up to Chelsea's death, her stomach was bloated, her eyes a yellow colour, she was sick and constipated, and witnesses said she appeared weak.

Luke, an electrician, now aged 25, had been with Chelsea for three years since they met while working as holiday reps in the party resort of Malia. He and Chelsea, who came from Castleford in Yorkshire, had returned to Crete every summer since then and had been back there again for three weeks, working in bars, when tragedy struck.

Brought up in the Brierley Hill area and attending the Thorns Community College in Quarry Bank, Luke later worked for his father's electrical company. He was popular – both at home in Brierley Hill and in Crete, where he and Chelsea made friends easily.

Friends and family presented an 11,000-name petition to Prime Minister David Cameron's Downing Street office in September 2010 calling for his release on bail. And, after his arrest, in the space of 24 hours, almost 2,000 people joined a Facebook group in support of Luke.

The group site was created by Becky Batth, from Brierley Hill, 26-year-old sister of Wolves player, Danny Batth, and its description included: "We all know how much they loved each other and that Luke wouldn't and couldn't harm a hair on that girl's head."

Danny Batth, now aged 22, grew up with Luke in the Withymoor area of Brierley Hill – the pair both attended Withymoor Primary before going on to the Thorns School. Friends described Luke as a fun-loving Wolves football fan who was head over heels in love with Chelsea.

His girlfriend was also extremely popular – with friends describing Chelsea on Facebook as 'one of the most awesome, kindest, fantastic girls you could ever meet'.

While tensions between the Walker and Hyndman families became strained as prosecutors built their case against Luke, in the early days Chelsea's mother was supportive of him and sent him a letter while he was in prison saying she knew the couple had loved each other 'dearly'.

Such was their absolute faith in their son Luke and his innocence, that Patrick and Lindy Walker have mortgaged themselves to the hilt to raise defence costs – £300,000 and mounting.

Meanwhile, family and friends rallied to throw themselves into fund-raising, chipping in about £50,000 towards the cause.

Luke's cousin, Daniella Walker organised a sponsored walk from the Dock and Iron pub in May, 2010, to the Power League football grounds in Park Lane, Halesowen, where another cousin, Lee Holmes, set up a five-a-side football tournament. Despite the support, the toll of the three-year ordeal on the family has been immense.

In February 2011, Patrick Walker, 57, suffered a major heart attack, believed to have been brought on by the trauma. An insurance payout for his illness of £85,000 has all been soaked up by the legal bills and he and Luke's mother, Lindy, 61, have remortgaged their home. But, even with all of the money raised, Mr Walker says he is still in debt to the tune of £60,000 – with the 10,000 euro surety for Luke's bail still to find.

After being allowed home to Brierley Hill on bail in October Luke told the Express & Star he wanted to return to Crete to clear his name, get on with his life and get 'closure' for Chelsea.

He later visited Chelsea's grave in Castleford, Yorkshire, to lay flowers at least twice. He said: "I never got to say goodbye to Chelsea because I was in prison when she died. The last time I saw her was in hospital, when she was being taken for an operation. "I said 'I love you' and she said she loved me."

Luke Walker's father Patrick speak after the verdict: