Helen Linda Smith (3 January 1956 – 20 May 1979) was a British nurse who died in allegedly suspicious circumstances in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, after apparently falling from a balcony during a party.
Also present at the Arnots' that night were Tim Hayter, a diver from New Zealand, a marine biologist named Jacques Texier, four German salvage operators and quite a number of other people who were never traced.
[citation needed] The official Saudi investigation into the incident concluded that the couple had fallen from the balcony while drunk, possibly after or during a sexual encounter.
[1] Helen's father Ron Smith, a retired policeman, refused to accept the conclusion and embarked upon a lengthy campaign to expose what he considered to be a Saudi–British coverup.
[5] The hearing was billed as the inquest of the century but failed to give Ron Smith the closure he had wanted; the jury returned an open verdict.
[5] Human Rights barrister Geoffrey Robertson wrote about his time acting for Ron Smith, Helen's father, at the inquest into her death.