THE brother of Ken Bigley has criticised the Home Office for failing to relieve the agony of the 90-year-old mother of the murdered engineer.

Hostage Ken was shown being beheaded by Iraqi captors in a video that still circulates widely every day on the internet and mobile phones.

Paul Bigley has revealed for the first time that his family believe Ken was already dead when his captors beheaded him live on air.

But he says the Home Office have refused to provide an expert to view the video to confirm the family’s belief the “execution” video is a fake.

Businessman Paul also condemned the British Foreign Office for not helping the family put an end to their nightmare.

Paul expressed his anger at the Government for failing to trace his brother’s unmarked grave so his remains can be brought home for a decent burial.

Liverpool-born Ken was beheaded in October 2004 but the family believe the broadcast footage was an evil charade since Ken had already been shot while trying to escape.

It was reported that Ken and two others escaped for around half an hour with the help of one of his captors.

But they were recaptured in farmland near the town of Latifiya, south-west of Baghdad never having made it to any form of refuge.

Believing their brother was killed with a bullet, both Paul and his brother Phil claim they have received information he is buried along with the two other escapees.

Paul said: “I have spoken to experts who have told me that when someone is beheaded the arterial spray of blood would be huge.

“We do not encourage anyone to watch the footage of Ken.

“But those who have seen it have noted that there was no blood at all and that tells us that he was already dead.

“It means the execution was a fake and if that could be substantiated by an expert pathologist it would be a crumb of comfort to our family.

“We would like a Home Office pathologist to view the tape and make a report on it in the hope that he could confirm our belief but the Home Office has simply refused to help us.

“And they just keep fobbing us off. They are an office full of pen-pushers. It is just not good enough. They need to pull their socks up and sort this out.”

Ken Bigley’s frail mother Lily, 90, lives in Liverpool and remains tormented by the fact that she has been unable to give her son a decent burial.

Phil Bigley, speaking from his Merseyside home said: “We believe Ken was already dead before he was beheaded.

“I have received information that Ken and those who aided him with the escape were shot and killed.

“We just need to get the body home so we can have final proof of how Ken died and finally lay him to rest.”

Ken’s remains are thought to remain buried in an unknown location in the Middle East and Paul believes all attempts to question a suspect in a Turkish jail have been mired in red tape.

He added: “I have reason to believe that this man knows the exact location of Ken’s remains.

“I have spoken to Scotland Yard who have tried to interview him on two occasions.

“The first time they succeeded. The second they were refused by the powers that be, Lord knows why.

“It feels like it’s just been put on the back burner.

“The last time I spoke to the Foreign Office I was told it was no longer a priority.”