'Honeymoon killer diver' detectives commended

Three detectives involved in the ‘honeymoon killer diver’ incident in 2003 have received awards for their work.

Detective Sergeant Gary Campbell, Detective Senior Constable Kevin Gehringer and Detective Acting Inspector Joe Kitching were presented with their awards at the Queensland Police Service Awards and Regional Excellence Awards.

They were recognised for their dedication and commitment to the investigation into the death of Tina Watson during a scuba diving trip on the Great Barrier Reef.

Det Sgt Campbell, Acting Detective Senior Sergeant in Townsville's CIB unit, said the Regional Excellence Award was an acknowledgement of the three officers’ work in what was a global investigation with a number of difficulties.

He told the Townsville Bulletin: "It's an unusual case in that a lot of the witnesses were overseas from several different countries on various continents around the world and we had language barriers and jurisdictional barriers to cross.”

Ms Watson’s husband Gabe Watson was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 18 months in prison.

He has since been released, but has recently been returned to his home state of Alabama, US where he will face trial once again.