AN INSURANCE company which bombarded a grieving family with phone calls has issued a public apology for its employees' behaviour.

Kenneth Ibrahim, known as Kenny, died in May following a motorcycle accident in Phuket, Thailand, where he had been attending a Thai boxing summer camp.

Kenneth had a travel insurance policy with AXA and in the days following his death the company repeatedly phoned Kenny's father Ken for information.

This left the family distressed and angry at the company's lack of sensitivity.

An AXA Insurance spokeswoman said: “Having reviewed this case, we acknowledge that it should have been handled more sensitively, for which we apologise.

“We will be issuing guidance to our employees to prevent further incidences in future.”

Kenny's parents Ken and Tina, of New Road, Chingford, and brother Dean have also told the Guardian at their dissatisfaction with the way his death was handled by the authorities.

They claim the authorities used an embalming fluid which is illegal in the UK (but legal in Thailand), which disfigured Kenny's skin, meaning family members were advised not to look at the body.

They also say they were told by Global Network, the company repatriating the body, they could go to Heathrow airport to view it, but when they got there it was in a van in the middle of a busy cargo area - a claim denied by the company.

And the Ibrahims also feel that information about the police investigation and the manner in which Kenny died has also not been forthcoming.

The family has now been told that a man has now been charged with a drink driving offence in connection with Kenny's death.