Couple executed with bullet each
Police probe mental state of Gibraltar killings Briton
POLICE were yesterday investigating the “state of mind” of a Briton found stabbed to death in Gibraltar with his partner and two young children.
The 31- year- old father, originally from Liverpool, was discovered with a 37- year- old Spanish woman, her fouryear- old daughter and the couple’s six- week- old baby girl.
The family died in a rented apartment in an area of the Rock known as Boschetti’s Steps. Relatives are understood to be heading to the island for formal identification.
The tragedy unfolded on Monday morning after neighbours reportedly heard screaming. Officers broke in after the flat was found to be locked from the inside. A pathologist is due to arrive from London today to examine the scene and conduct a post- mortem examination.
The family had been living in Spain and it is believed they had been on the British Overseas Territory for a few days visiting a friend.
Royal Gibraltar Police said they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the tragedy and they are investigating the state of mind of both the man and the woman.
A spokesman said: “There has been and continues to be a lot of speculation... Presently we are not looking for anyone involved in this very unfortunate event, but the investigation will be thorough and detailed, drawing on the expertise of other professionals.”
Chief minister Fabian Picardo held a minute’s silence for the dead and tweeted that it was a “black day for Gibraltar”. A BRITISH couple murdered at their Spanish villa were executed with a single bullet each, it emerged yesterday.
Former Olympic diver Peter Tarsey was shot in the back of the neck while his wife Jean was shot in the face, according to police.
The couple, both 77, were discovered locked in each other’s arms on the sofa of their three- bedroom detached villa near Benidorm.
It is believed they may have been dead for 48 hours when friends found their bodies on Sunday.
A police source said: “Mr Tarsey had one gunshot to the back of the neck and Mrs Tarsey had one shot to her face.
“It was a terrible scene but we believe they died instantly.
“We believe the murder weapon was a small pistol.” A source said: “The couple did have a safe but there was no attempt to force it open. A television was stolen and one of the strong lines of inquiry is that this was a burglary that went terribly wrong.”
No arrests have been made and no gun was found at the scene.
Police were alerted on Sunday at 4.15pm when friends went round to the house for a regular dinner. They found the door open and the couple dead.
One of the friends, who asked not to be named, said she was in shock.
The couple’s small black and white dog, Domino, was still in the house.
The killers threw a computer into the swimming pool, possibly fearing it contained images of the murders from a webcam.
The couple had been burgled twice at the villa, which they bought in 1990.
The owner of a nearby cafe said he saw Mr Tarsey, who usually went to the cafe every day, on Friday morning. He had a bandage on his mouth after dental treatment.
Mr Tarsey competed in diving for Britain at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia.
He came 16th in the springboard and 14th in the platform event, and also took part in the 1954 and 1958 Commonwealth Games.
The couple’s home in Xalo, 25 miles north of Benidorm, was up for sale. They wanted to move to Mallorca to be closer to their son Sascha. They have another son, Alexei.