I found my pals shot dead
THE best friend of British couple Peter and Jean Tarsey told yesterday of her horror at finding them shot dead on the sofa at their villa in Spain.
Seeing their bodies covered in a raincoat was like “something out of your worst nightmare”, said Ann, also an expat, who asked for her surname not to be published.
She went to the Tarseys’ house on Sunday afternoon with another friend, Eduardo Juan, because she was concerned at not being able to reach the couple, both aged 77, on the phone.
Ann, who had been friends with the pair for 25 years, said: “I knew something was wrong as soon as we got there. What we found was like something out of your worst nightmare. I’m still in a state of shock.
Devastated
“We climbed over the fence and found the kitchen door open. I knew as we entered the house something was terribly wrong.
“We saw them on the sofa covered in a green raincoat that Jean had recently bought.
“They were covered up but their legs were visible.
“We knew it must be them but Eduardo wanted to make sure, so he pulled the coat back just to check.
“They were in each other’s arms like he was protecting her.
“I can’t imagine who would want to do that to them. They were such a lovely, friendly couple who would do no harm to anyone. I really hope the police catch whoever was responsible and throw away the key.
“Their sons Alexei and Sascha are absolutely devastated.”
The Tarseys, originally from west London, were found at about 4pm in Xalo, near Benidorm on the Costa Blanca. The couple’s dog Domino was inside the house barking when Ann arrived.
Police have revealed that Mr Tarsey was shot in the back of the neck while Mrs Tarsey was shot in the face.
The killer or killers threw the couple’s computer into the swimming pool, possibly out of fear it contained incriminating images from their webcam.
Police said they are still investigating the motive for the murders, but believe it may have been a bungled robbery.
But Ann said: “It didn’t look like a robbery as the house looked normal. There were none of the disturbances you would associate with a robbery.”
Mr Tarsey, who used his middle name, David, was a former Olympic diver who met Jean when they were 13 at a diving club in England. They were childhood sweethearts.
Eduardo told a Spanish newspaper he had known the Tarseys for 40 years. He and Ann lunched with them every Sunday.
He said of finding the bodies: “He was hugging her, on top of her, as if he were protecting her. My impression is that they had an extremely cruel death.”