Jan Bennett: British woman 'raped and murdered' in Bulgaria - reports

She moved to Bulgaria just three months ago

Bulgarian police have arrested a suspect (Getty)

A British woman who moved to Bulgaria three months ago has been raped and murdered and her body set on fire, according to reports.

Jan Bennett, 67, was attacked while walking her dogs near her home in the village of Malomir, around 200 miles east of the capital Sofia, according to The Telegraph.

A local man, named as Ivan Georgiev, 40, was arrested on Saturday after police found DNA linking him to the scene, the report said.

He was arrested at his workplace in a local vineyard shortly after the body was found.

A Turkish newspaper, Didim Voices, reports that Mrs Bennett did not return home after going out at 10pm on Thursday night, and her body was found the following day.

Mrs Bennett had only recently moved to the area with her disabled husband, having previously spent a number of years living in the Turkish coastal resort of Altinkum, where they were active members of a local church group.

Her 62-year-old husband is said to have been admitted to a local hospital where he was being treated for shock.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We can confirm the death of a British national in Bulgaria. We are liaising with Bulgarian authorities and have met with the family to provide support at this difficult time."