The death of a British hostage in the Middle East has cast a grim light on the moral arithmetic of a government’s refusal to pay ransom. Nancy Guthrie, a 58-year-old aid worker from Manchester, was seized by armed militants six months ago while delivering medical supplies in Syria. Police now fear she died in captivity after negotiators failed to meet a demand for £2 million.
The news, broken by the Metropolitan Police this morning, has left her family and colleagues devastated. Guthrie’s husband, James, released a statement calling for a public inquiry into the decision not to pay. “We begged them.
We offered to raise the money ourselves. But they said no.” The police have not confirmed the ransom demand but sources say it was regarded as credible.
The case exposes a painful truth: Britain’s no-concessions policy, designed to deter future kidnappings, may have cost a life. For the Guthrie family, it is a price too high.
