A heartbroken Northumberland mum has paid tribute to her son as she slammed police for 'failing' to inform her that he had died.
Kyle Haggerty, 24, was tragically found dead at Blyth Harbour on October 16. His family does not yet know the circumstances surrounding his death.
The young chef grew up in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea and was very close to his family as the much-loved son of Lisa Common and Trevor Haggerty and brother of Lauren Brown. He had worked in restaurants, including Dolly Dimples and Caboose in Blyth, and has been remembered as a talented and hard-working young chef.
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"He was a lovely lad," mum Lisa said.
"Nobody had a bad word to say about him. Everybody loved him. He was such a pleasant, funny lad."
Mum Lisa is going through every parent's worst nightmare following the tragic loss of her son. However, she says she was not even told about his death by the police.
The grief-stricken mum claims that officers only informed her ex-husband, Kyle's dad, and told him that he had to let her know.
Lisa, from Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, said she received no calls, visits, or messages from Northumbria Police and was left trying to contact the force herself to find out what had happened to her beloved son.
Lisa also says she has not received any bereavement support or guidance from the police about the next steps following Kyle's death.
"I'm not sure what I'm supposed to have had support-wise as I am that in the dark about everything," she said.
"There has been nobody there. Nobody has told me how things work, what to expect, or who to get in touch with."
The 47-year-old has filed a complaint with Northumbria Police about the way she has been treated. However, she claims that when she received a phone call from an investigator dealing with her son's case in response to her complaint, she was not treated with any compassion.
"I am absolutely in bits and going through the worst weeks of my life and to be treated with such disrespect is absolutely horrendous," she said.
"Not one person has spoken to me face-to-face."
She continued: "If my voice helps somebody else by getting the police to [realise] that they can't treat grieving families this way. They need to hear that people are hurting, that they are going through the worst time of their lives and they need a bit of support.
"Just tell me what's happening and what I am supposed to do and who I can contact if I have any queries. Just something like that would have been a help but not to have anything is a disgrace."
Northumbria Police confirmed they were looking into Lisa's complaint and said their thoughts are with Kyle's family. The force said they were "committed to taking appropriate action" if standards of behaviour are not met by staff.
A Northumbria Police spokeswoman said: “First and foremost, our thoughts continue to be with the family of Kyle Haggerty.
"Following their tragic loss, we can confirm we received a complaint in relation to how we communicated with the family. While we look into this, it would be inappropriate to comment any further directly in relation to this case.
“However, as a force whenever we are in contact with bereaved family members we are committed to doing so in a compassionate and empathetic manner. Whenever standards of behaviour are not met by our officers, staff or volunteers, we are committed to taking appropriate action in relation to such matters.”
The two Blyth restaurants where Kyle worked have paid tribute to the "dedicated chef."
Dolly Dimples said: "Our memories will be cherished forever and you will always be part of our Dollys family. Rest easy Kyle."
Restaurant, Caboose in Blyth, said: "He was a fantastic, hard-working and dedicated chef.
"He was a great employee. But most of all, he was a solid lovely person.
"So much so, that in the time he was with us, he developed unbelievable lasting friendships and bonds with many of our team, inside and outside of work."
They added: "You have not been here anywhere near long enough, but you should rest knowing that you have had a real impact on many. People thought the absolute world of you, and it has been a genuine pleasure to have played a small part in your story."
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