MURDERED IN EACH OTHER’S ARMS
Mystery as British couple shot dead in Spanish villa
A BRITISH couple were murdered in cold blood as they held each other in a final desperate embrace, it was revealed last night.
Former Olympic diver Peter Tarsey and his wife Jean were found “locked in each other’s arms” at their Spanish villa, police said.
The expats, both aged 77, were shot in the head at their luxury home in Xalo, near Benidorm. A friend found their bodies on the living room sofa on Sunday. Empty shell casings lay nearby.
One theory last night was that the couple, originally from London, died in a bungled robbery.
There was no sign of forced entry at the £ 170,000 three- bed property. But a TV was missing and a computer had been thrown into a swimming pool. The couple
had a safe in their home which contained valuables but it was still locked when police arrived.
The British woman who found the bodies is a local estate agent, who asked not to be named. She said: “The Tarseys were my closest friends. I’m still in a state of shock.”
Spanish police have not ruled out any line of inquiry but said the couple appeared to have been murdered. A small calibre firearm was used.
Mr Tarsey – who was known to friends by his middle name of David – competed for Great Britain at the Melbourne Games in 1956 and for England at two Commonwealth Games.
He and his wife had been living in Spain for 18 years and are thought to have been from west London. They had no known criminal history and “had not been doing anything strange”, police said.
The Tarseys have two grown sons, Alexei and Sascha, one living in London and the other in Palma de Mallorca.
It is understood one of the sons was flying back from the Caribbean last night.
A spokeswoman for Spain’s Guardia Civil police force said last night: “At around 4.15pm friends of the couple went to their villa because they had not been seen for a few days. They found the door was open. There were no signs of a break- in.
“The couple were found dead with gunshot wounds on the sofa. They were locked in each other’s arms.
“We are awaiting results of post- mortem examinations.”
A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: “We can confirm the deaths of two British nationals in Alicante, Spain.”
The Tarseys had been burgled twice before and were trying to sell the property, according to neighbour Susan Keightley, 72.
She said: “Everyone here is devastated. Jean and Peter were such a lovely couple. It’s just so terrible to think they were shot in their own home.
“Jean did a lot of work for local charities, including one looking after abandoned dogs. Peter was always working in the garden. He was an engineer in the UK and sold his business when they moved to Spain.
“They have a little black and white dog called Domino, who I believe was still in the house when the bodies were found.”
Hundreds of homeowners were attacked in a spate of robberies by a gang of mainly Kosovans and Albanians along Spain’s Alicante coastline 10 years ago. Xalo, a village with a population of about 2,700, is 25 miles north- west of the popular resort of Benidorm.
Mayor Joan Miquel Garces said: “The Civil Guard told me they had ruled out domestic violence and suicide. They are looking for a third person.
“The couple ate lunch every Sunday with English friends. When they didn’t show up, the friends got worried.
“Nothing like this has ever happened here before.”