Rebecca Dykes
Rebecca Dykes
Rebecca Dykes was a British Diplomat working for the Department for International Development in Beirut, Lebanon. On December 16, 2017 she was murdered and raped while in Beirut.
EarRebecca Dykes grew up in Hong Kong, but attended Malvern St James, a boarding school in Worcestershire, England.
Career
Rebecca Dykes had been working as a Programme and Policy Manager for the Department for International Development (DfID) on the UK government's Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) programme in Beirut, Lebanon since January 2017. [1]
Rebecca Dykes had previously worked for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office since 2010, covering Libya and Iraq.
Education
Rebecca Dykes has a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology at Manchester University. She later graduated from Birkbeck, University of London with a Master of Arts in International Security and Global Governance.
Death
On December 16, 2017 Rebecca Dykes was found murdered in Beirut, Lebanon after being strangled and raped. According to Lebanese media reports, choke marks were found on Ms Dykes' neck and she had been raped.
Before being abducted and killed, Rebecca Dykes had been out in the Gemmayzeh area of central Beirut for the leaving party of a colleague at the British embassy and had left just after midnight.
She was abducted some time after and killed.
Her body was found dumped on the Metn highway several miles away.
Police sources told the Telegraph the first autopsy revealed the cause of death as strangulation, however a second postmortem examination is to be carried out later.
Police have said they did not believe the attack to be politically motivated.
One friend told The Telegraph: "It's horrific. We had no idea what happened to her until we got a call today to go to the police station to give statements."
I n a statement her family said: "We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Rebecca.
We are doing all we can to understand what happened."
Hugo Shorter, the British ambassador to Lebanon, said: "The whole embassy is deeply shocked, saddened by this news.
My thoughts are with Becky’s family, friends and colleagues for their tragic loss.
"We're providing consular support to her family and working very closely with Lebanese authorities who are conducting police investigation."
A spokesman for the Department for International Development where she worked said: "Our thoughts are with Becky's family and friends at this very upsetting time.
"There is now a police investigation and the FCO (Foreign Office) is providing consular support to Becky's family and working with the local authorities."