THE mother of a Scot murdered in the Netherlands has criticised the police investigation into the killing as "shambolic" after officers failed to search the flat where his body was hidden, lost forensic evidence and allowed the chief suspect to go on the run for five months.

Jonathan Kennedy's body was found in Nuth two weeks after he had been stabbed to death in January last year.

His mother Sherrin, other family and friends have revealed a series of mistakes made by the officers investigating Jonathan's disappearance.

Days after Jonathan was reported missing by colleagues at the foundry where he worked, two officers visited the flat he shared with Roy Mullis and Paul McCormack, but failed to carry out a routine search.

Mullis, who is on trial for his murder, was not arrested despite barricading himself into a room and refusing to help their inquiries. Two weeks later they returned, after complaints about the smell and found the 30-year-old's remains in a locked cupboard.

Mullis, 41, vanished and McCormack, 32, fled to Eindhoven, where he was arrested on suspicion of murder. Jonathan's clothes and a vacuum cleaner, which contained the victim's dried blood, were removed from the flat before police forensics experts could examine them.

On Thursday, three judges at Maastricht criminal court will decide if Mullis, from Chesterfield, is guilty of murder after he admitted repeatedly stabbing Kennedy. He denies the injuries caused his death.

Jonathan's family are angry that McCormack, from Coventry, who is charged only with concealing the body, has returned to the UK on bail.

Sherrin, 59, from Minishant, South Ayrshire has urged the Crown Office's International Co-operation Unit to carry out a review of the way in which the Dutch authorities handled the case.

Sherrin, who was only told her son's body had been identified after a friend saw the story on Ceefax, said: "From day one, the investigation was so poor that we nearly ended up with nobody in court for Jonathan's murder.

"I know it was only being treated as a missing person inquiry, but to allow Jonathan's possessions to be removed from the flat when clearly they could provide forensic evidence is unbelievable. To make matters worse, McCormack has been told he only needs to phone up the court to find out the verdict and could easily disappear if he is found guilty."

Sherrin, a mother of two who is divorced from Jonathan's father, lost £100 after booking flights to attend the trial last year, only for it to be postponed.

Dutch Victim Support failed to send a counsellor to accompany her to the trial as it promised.

Sherrin, who campaigns for the charity SAMM (Support After Murder and Manslaughter) Abroad, added: "It was shambolic. Nobody should be put through what I have suffered, but unfortunately this is happening to other families whose loved ones are killed or murdered abroad. Although I want justice, no matter what the verdict is on Thursday, it will be no consolation for my family as we can't bring Jonathan back."

Eve Henderson, who founded SAMM Abroad after her Scottish-born husband Roderick's murder in Paris 10 years ago, said: "It is common for families bereaved by murder overseas to have incredible trouble keeping in touch with the status of a court case. The Foreign Office communicates very ineffectively. The UK government must recognise this need and offer a co-ordinated service."

A Crown Office spokeswoman said one of its lawyers will meet Sherrin to discuss her concerns after the verdict.

Jo Schroeder, the detective who led the case, refused to comment.