BRING OUR SON BACK HOME; Family's heartbreak plea after Steve dies in paradise motorbike horror.

Byline: The Judge

JACK and Margaret Paterson were devastated when their son died in a motorbike crash in Thailand last week.

Stephen, 35, had been touring Asia on a six-month backpacking holiday.

The first the Patersons knew of the tragedy was when police officers arrived at their door on Monday.

Now travel insurance firm First Assist are adding to their grief by refusing to bring his body back home. Today he lies in a mortuary 6200 miles from his grieving family.

First Assist claim his policy is invalid because he was driving a 125cc motorbike - and he was insured only for 50cc bikes.

Jack, 57, of Bilston, Midlothian, called me in despair. He said: "Stephen's death has devastated us. We are in pieces. We cannot afford the pounds 3100 repatriation costs to bring our son home.

"Humanity has gone out the window. This firm is refusing to help and so far they haven't even sent us a copy of the travel policy.

"We don't know if Stephen was covered or not as he took the policy with him."

In a heart-rending plea Jack added: "All we want is to bring our son home and put him to rest. Is it too much to ask?"

Stephen, a joiner, had taken out a pounds 126 policy with First Assist in November. He flew to the US, Cambodia and finally the paradise island of Koh Phangan in Thailand, where the accident happened.

Jack said: "Stephen was happy-go-lucky, a youngster at heart. He'd been to India, New Zealand, Australia and the Far East."

When Jack and Margaret, 58, who both work at Sainsbury's, were told of his death, they contacted the Foreign Office.

Jack said: "We don't know exactly what happened but he wasn't wearing a helmet."

They got in touch with First Assist after finding the policy details in a notepad.

Jack, also dad to Lyndsay, 31, and Alan, 25, said: "The travel policy was supposed to cover him for every eventuality. He didn't know he needed to pay extra to ride a motorbike bigger than 50cc."

First Assist referred the claim to underwriters who refused to meet the costs.

That's when Jack called me in. He said: "I want to warn others. They were trying to find a way not to pay.

"We are not asking for millions, just enough to get him home. In Thailand, they may cremate him. We need to lay him to rest and grieve properly."

I got on to First Assist at their Plymouth HQ but they refused to pay out. They even refused to offer a goodwill gesture to the family.

Head of claims Ian Jones said: "We offer sincere condolences but the cover is specific in stating the maximum cc motorbike permissible."

Thanks for nothing, pal.

But I was determined not to let the Patersons down and contacted Sainsbury's to see if they would help financially.

And it looks as if the supermarket giant will come up with the goods for the couple.

Aspokesman told me: "We will do everything we can to support the family at this difficult time."

Let's hope next week I will be able to tell you Stephen is home where he belongs.

Additional reporting by JANE BARRIE

CAPTION(S):

Devastated: Lyndsay, Jack, Margaret and Alan are in pieces after the death of Stephen, right; 6200 MILES FROM HOME; Beach: Koh Phangan