Murder victim 'stabbed in sleep'

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The family of a pensioner from south Wales murdered in the Philippines say they have been told he was stabbed in his sleep.

Leonard Jarman, 67, emigrated to the Far East from Llantwit Fardre near Pontypridd 18 months ago.

Police in the Philippines launched an inquiry after he was found dead on 31 August at his home in Las Pinas City in the capital's Metro Manila region.

His daughter Melanie Hill said police have said there were two suspects.

Mr Jarman had set up home in the Philippines with his Filipina second wife, Edna, who owned a hairdressing salon there.

His family has been told he had at least one stab wound and that he was found in his bed.

He was highly intelligent, a very high-brow gentleman Melanie Hill

It is thought his body had been in the house for two or three days before being discovered.

Mr Jarman's daughter, from Fleur-de-lys, Blackwood, Caerphilly county, said: "It's just unbelievable. It's very hard to cope with, especially because we've got no real evidence, other than people thousands of miles away saying they'd found my dad."

She said: "We believe he was stabbed while he was asleep. We have been told a knife was recovered from the scene."

Mrs Hill - who last heard from her father in July - is now hoping the grandfather of five can be returned home for burial in the UK.

Mr Jarman's wife, a singer, was working away from home and sent her sister to the couple's house when she could not contact him.

He lived in Las Pinas City, near the capital, Manila with wife Edna

Police were called when she found the house locked and Mr Jarman's body was found.

Mr Jarman's wife was told of his death but was unable to contact his UK family until September 6.

Mrs Hill described her father as "a bit of an eccentric" who would "do anything for his family".

"He was highly intelligent, a very high-brow gentleman," she said.

A spokeswoman for the UK Foreign Office said: "We can confirm that the body of a British national was found on 31 August at his home in Las Pinas City in the Philippines.

Series of holidays

"Next-of-kin have been informed. Filipino police are treating his death as suspicious."

Before retiring around six years ago, Mr Jarman, who was originally from Croydon, was a chemical engineer at factories in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan.

He had been on a series of holidays to Thailand and Vietnam, but it was in the Philippines that he was introduced to Edna.

In e-mails to his family he said he was happy and enjoying the heat.