Antigua shooting victim Ben Mullany dies in hospital

A husband shot alongside his wife while they honeymooned in Antigua died yesterday.

Doctors at Morriston Hospital, Swansea, where 31-year-old Ben Mullany was being treated, said that he had died after brain stem testing.

Mr Mullany was shot eight days ago with his bride, Catherine, also 31, during a suspected attempted robbery at their beachside cottage at the Cocos hotel. Mrs Mullany was killed instantly. Mr Mullany was shot in the head, suffering a fractured skull. He had a bullet lodged in his brain.

A hospital spokeswoman said: "The thoughts of all the staff who were involved in Ben's care are with his family at this very sad time." She asked for privacy for the family.

The physiotherapist, from Pontardawe, Wales, was flown home early on Saturday to be treated at the same intensive care unit where his late wife did part of her training to become a doctor.

The body of Mrs Mullany was flown back to the UK on a separate flight, accompanied by her parents.

Doctors had to wait until Mr Mullany's condition had stabilised after the 24-hour journey from the Caribbean before carrying out tests to discover if he was brain dead.

Dr Pushpiner Mangat, the hospital's clinical director for critical care, praised the "outstanding work" of the clinical team responsible for Mr Mullany during his transfer from the island.

Mrs Mullany, from Pontardawe, and Mr Mullany, from the village of Ystalyfera, set off on their honeymoon after their wedding on 12 July. They were attacked last Sunday on the final day of their two-week holiday.

As doctors tested Mr Mullany for brain activity, prayers for the couple were said at churches and chapels throughout the Swansea Valley, including St John the Evangelist Church where they were wed three weeks ago.

"We said prayers for them both at services this morning, at the little country church where they married and at our other church in Alltwen," said the Rev Martyn Perry, who married the couple.

The Rev Gareth Morgan Jones, who had known Catherine since her childhood, led services for the couple in both Alltwen Chapel and Tabernacle Chapel, in Pontardawe. The minister said the services were attended by mourners including teachers who taught Mrs Mullany, the mother of one of her closest friends and a family member. "I paid a eulogy to Catherine, who I have known since she was a young girl in a Welsh school," he said. "I paid tribute to her personality, her good life and, of course, such a talented person and respected by all who knew her."

He said they also thought of Mr Mullany and had a minute's silence for the couple. "We also sang a hymn which Catherine would have sung at Ysgol Gyfun Ystalyfera (her school) which talks about turning night into day."

Five Scotland Yard detectives visited the murder scene on Saturday. They flew to the island to help investigate the shooting after a plea for help from Antigua's overwhelmed police force.

Antigua's police commissioner, Gary Nelson, said the shooting may be linked to another murder on the island less than two months ago.

He said police had questioned 31 people and taken 10 statements. Four people remained in custody and around a dozen officers were working on the case.

A police source said investigators believed they were hunting for more than one suspect.

The island's 350-strong police force is faced with a rise in crime which has "nearly overwhelmed" the nation, according to its Prime Minister, Baldwin Spencer. He said it has no computers, no crime database and an emergency call system which "sometimes doesn't work".

Local police said that they were questioning an Antiguan beach vendor, Clarence James – known as Cloud – about the shooting. They described him as "the main suspect". Detectives said he was taken into custody in the early hours of Saturday, after allegedly admitting selling marijuana.

Local residents said he offered to drive visitors around the island. Detectives are investigating a claim that he took Mr and Mrs Mullany on a tour.

Det Insp Nuffield Burnette said: "He denies knowing them and he has tried to give us an alibi for the night of the murder."