A Fife soldier whose death in Portugal is under investigation will be laid to rest on Friday with full military honours.
Lance Corporal Darren Lackie’s Union Flag-draped coffin, topped with his cap, belt and medals, will be followed to the cemetery in his home town of Cupar by a Black Watch guard of honour.
The 21-year-old, who was preparing to return to Afghanistan with 3 SCOTS, was found lying unconscious on a pavement in the popular resort of Albufeira, where he was on holiday with girlfriend Ashleigh Wilson (21).
He died three days later in hospital.
Portuguese police initially indicated the tragedy was an accident but L/Cpl Lackie’s father Graham is convinced he was drugged then murdered.
Prosecutors in Portugal are now looking into the circumstances.
L/Cpl Lackie’s body was flown home on Saturday and hundreds of his friends and army colleagues are expected to join Mr Lackie, L/Cpl Lackie’s mother Helen, his brothers Calvin (20) and Ben (16) and Ashleigh to pay their respects to him at St John’s Church.
The former Bell Baxter High School pupil joined the army at the age of 16 and Mr Lackie said, “Darren always said he wanted a military funeral.
“He spent the last six years of his life in the army. He always said that if he was to go, it would be in Afghanistan and the one thing he took from that was that he would be given a military funeral.”
Although L/Cpl Lackie was on leave when he died on April 3, the army is honouring his service with a military send-off, including a three-gun salute at his graveside.
The service, at 11.30am, will be performed by a minister and padre.Spiking theoryL/Cpl Lackie was found lying unconscious outside a restaurant in the party area known as The Strip on March 31, just hours after taking Ashleigh home to the timeshare apartment they were staying in.
Ashleigh had been feeling unwell and the couple had returned about 9.30pm. She raised the alarm when she woke in the morning and Darren was missing.
Medical reports showed L/Cpl Lackie had not been drinking heavily but there were barbiturates in his blood.
Mr Lackie is convinced L/Cpl Lackie and Ashleigh’s drinks were spiked and that L/Cpl Lackie, whose prized mobile phone is missing, was mugged.
Police said L/Cpl Lackie had fallen and hit his head but an English-speaking doctor told Mr Lackie that an injury behind his left ear was inconsistent with a fall.
Mr Lackie is relieved that Portuguese prosecutors have agreed to look into the circumstances surrounding his son’s death and hopes a murder inquiry will follow.
He said, “If they can answer the questions we have satisfactorily then we will have to accept that, no matter how difficult that might be.
“But if they can’t answer those questions then I won’t let it lie. There are so many questions. The police never asked about the extent of his brain damage and they never spoke to Ashleigh.”
He added, “If they decide there is something suspicious, which there obviously is, I can’t see how they could go back to saying it was accidental.”