Antigua calls on British police

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Antigua's prime minister has urged UK police to help solve the shootings of honeymoon couple Catherine and Ben Mullany on the Caribbean island.

In a national address, Baldwin Spencer said his government would not tolerate anything which tarnished the country.

He said the shooting of the couple, from Pontardawe, south Wales, threatened Antigua's tourism industry.

Dr Mullany, 31, was killed and her husband, also 31, is critically ill after the hotel shootings on Sunday.

'Quality of life'

Mr Spencer told the Antiguan population: "Your government will not tolerate any action that will tarnish the reputation of this country.

"It is a fact that this country has made significant gains over the past four years, and as a government and a people, we cannot allow lawlessness and crime to erode the tangible benefits and the quality of life that our country now enjoys.

As chief servant of this nation, I pledge my government's commitment to ensuring that our nation remains a paradise Baldwin SpencerPrime Minister of Antigua

"The truth is unpalatable to some people. But the recent killing of Dr Mullany and the brutal attack on her husband are threats to our very survival as they directly threaten our main industry, tourism."

Mr Spencer said the government of Antigua and Barbuda had asked Scotland Yard to assist "in cracking the number of unsolved murders still on the books".

'Every measure'

He also criticised the UK and the US for increasing the number of criminals deported to Antigua.

"These criminal deportees, with skills developed and nurtured in the US and UK, are impacting tremendously on our society," he said.

Mr Spencer told Antiguans: "Beyond sympathy, I assure you that we will employ every legal measure to hunt down and bring to justice those who are responsible for the senseless acts.

"As chief servant of this nation, I pledge my government's commitment to ensuring that our nation remains a paradise."

The couple, who married on 12 July, were on the last day of their two-week honeymoon at the Cocos Hotel when the shootings happened.