British businessman dies after being electrocuted in dam while on holiday with his three teen sons in St Lucia
A BRIT has died from suspected electrocution following an incident at a dam on the Caribbean island of St Lucia.
Martin Ellis, a business development director from West London, was found in an unresponsive state around 4.30pm by police officers at the Sir John Compton dam in Roseau, St Lucia, last Friday.
The 68-year-old, who was visiting the island with his three sons, was pronounced dead at the scene.
An island source who asked not to be named said that believed that Ellis may have gained access to a restricted area of the dam without first obtaining permission from the authorities.
Access to the area known as ";hilltop" is blocked with a secured metal chain across the roadway.
Mr Ellis reportedly collapsed in this restricted area of the dam.
However in a statement issued by Anthony and Antoine Chambers, two of Mr Ellis’s sons, denied they had entered a restricted area.
It said: “We do not accept that we accessed a clearly restricted area of the dam or that we were in any way notified before or on arrival that we had to secure prior permission to visit the site.
“Indeed, we were shown where to park so as not to be in the way of other vehicles on the site.”
The Police in St Lucia are presently investigating the incident and the water company is cooperating fully with the investigation.
A post mortem is planned for next Monday at which time the exact cause of death will be determined.
A statement from The St Lucia Water and Sewerage Company (WASCO), the company which owns the dam which supplies water to the island, said: "WASCO wishes to inform the general public of its deep regret and sadness with respect to a fatal incident that occurred at the Sir John Compton Dam on Friday, August 16, 2019, in which a British national died."
Liz Shackleton, managing director of Jamm Print, the South London-based company Ellis worked for, said he played a key part in helping to establish their business in other countries as well as overseeing the legal and financial details of the company.
“When Martin joined us, he came with quite a lot of previous experience,” said Liz. “He had a lot of experience of the graphical trades, and of financial management and business development.
“Our team is quite close-knit, and people always felt they could go to him with questions and he was always there with advice and help. He had a very dry sense of humour.
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“Martin was always prepared to take a risk if he thought it could benefit the company, and he was a planner. Quite visionary. He understood what it is like to work in a difficult industry at times when change is needed, and he was not afraid of change.”
Mr Ellis moved to the commercial, trade and direct mail printing outfit from a varied career, having worked for the National Gallery as a project director and also as general manager of photographic agency Corbis UK, which was founded by Bill Gates.
At Jamm, he always worked three days a week in order to be present for his three sons, who were on holiday with him at the time of his death.
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The family released a statement about the tragedy: “On 16th August our father, Martin Ellis, of London UK, met his death at the Sir John Compton Dam as a result of a terrible incident. We, his three sons, were with him. Our mother, who is severely disabled, had remained at home in England.
"Our father loved to walk and to explore. Guidebooks, maps, and TripAdvisor indicated the dam and nearby bird sanctuary were worth a visit.
"We, the three boys and our mother, wish to thank all who helped us, both on the day and to get back to London."
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