A British woman has died in Barbados after being doused in a flammable liquid and set alight while in bed.

Natalie Crichlow’s “shocked and devastated” family are raising funds to repatriate her body.

Ms Crichlow, 44, of Colindale in London, was in Barbados to look after her disabled brother when she was attacked.

The mother-of-three had survived cancer twice and had two strokes in the past decade, according to her niece.

Ashley Best said her aunt suffered 75% burns to her body in the attack in Christchurch on 28 July. She died in hospital on 6 August.

Ms Best said: “The intruder broke in the house, then strangled her and then set her alight. She went into hospital and died of her injuries.

“I do not understand why it happened and we are all in a state of shock.”

Ms Crichlow, who was born in Luton, has three children aged 10, 20 and 26 who are “devastated” and want to get her back home to Britain for burial.

They have set up a crowd-funding page in an attempt to raise £8,000 to bring her body home.

Her niece said the family are concerned the Royal Barbados Police Force is not treating the death as a murder investigation.

A spokesman for the local police told the Press Association no arrests had been made.

‘A true warrior’

Ms Best said of her aunt: “For someone who had battled through so much to just be taken in this way and lose their life is just beyond understanding.

“She said she wanted to live life to the fullest because her life had nearly been taken from her.”

Family friend Mitra Wikes said Ms Crichlow was “a true survivor and warrior who endured so much in life but always kept going and had a true passion for living life to the max no matter what she had gone through”.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: “Our staff are supporting the family of a British woman following her death in Barbados, and are in contact with the Barbados police force.” BBC News