Co-pilot hanged self

Several passengers and crew members scheduled to depart Crown Point International Airport on an 8.55 pm Virgin Atlantic flight destined to England on Thursday had to be deplaned and accommodated in various hotels and guesthouses on the island following word that the craft’s co-pilot had been found dead in his room at the Hilton Tobago Hotel. According to police reports, around 7 pm, 35-year-old Paul William Mc Cann of Sussex, England, was found by hotel staff hanging from the ceiling of room 205 with a bed sheet tied around his neck. His wrists were also said to have been slit. An alarm was raised after the VA crew had checked out and it was noticed that Mc Cann was missing.

A staff member decided to conduct a search of his room after efforts to contact him via telephone proved futile and was confronted with the alarming sight. Mc Cann had arrived in Tobago on Tuesday evening and was scheduled to leave on the 8.55 pm VA flight on Thursday. He was last seen alive on Wednesday evening. A post-mortem performed by Dr Hughvon Des Vignes yesterday revealed that Mc Cann died from hanging. Officers attached to the Old Grange Police Station are continuing enquiries. A release issued by Virgin Atlantic stated that a replacement for Mc Cann was expected to arrive in Tobago yesterday afternoon and the flight was scheduled to depart at 8.55 pm.