A FORMER Malvern Girls’ College pupil who had been working at the British embassy in Lebanon was found murdered at the weekend.
Rebecca Dykes, believed to be 30, was located at the side of Beirut’s Metn highway on Saturday.
Police in the Lebanese capital had reported to the BBC she had been sexually assaulted and strangled with a rope.
Ms Dykes’ family said in a statement they were ‘devastated’ by the loss of their ‘lovely Rebecca’ and were doing all they could to understand the situation.
They added: “We request that the media respect our privacy.”
After graduating from Malvern Girls’ College, which is now called Malvern St James Girls’ School after the merge with West Malvern’s St James’ School in 2006, Ms Dykes went on to study anthropology at the University of Manchester before completing a Masters in International Security and Global Governance at Birkibeck, University of London.
She had been working in Beirut since January as the programme and policy manager for the Department for International Development (DFID).
Allegedly she had spent Friday evening at a going-away party for a colleague at a bar in the Gemmaayzeh district of Beirut.
After leaving the party about midnight, it is thought she was abducted and her body was found close to a motorway on the outskirts of the city.
A DFID spokesperson said: “Our thoughts are with Becky’s family and friends at this very upsetting time.
“There is now a police investigation and the Foreign Office is providing consular support to Becky’s family and working with the local authorities.”
A Foreign Office spokesperson added: “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Becky Dykes at this very upsetting time.
“The Foreign Office is working with local authorities in Beirut and is also providing consular support to Becky’s family.”
Malvern St James said it was not in a position to comment.
A man has since been arrested in connection with the murder.
