by Ryan Parry and Stewart Maclean in Kenya, Daily Mirror
THE ruthless Somali gunmen who snatched Judith Tebbutt murdered her husband execution-style with a single shot to the head, it was revealed yesterday.
Publishing boss David Tebbutt, 58, died as he tried to fend off six armed raiders who burst into their luxury beachfront cottage in Kenya’s Kiwayu Safari Village in the early hours of Sunday.
His terrified wife, 56, was seen moments later being dragged to a speedboat, which roared off east towards Somalia.
Last night Kenyan police revealed they have arrested a man in connection with the raid.
He is said to be a local and is being held on the nearby island of Lamu on suspicion of helping to co-ordinate the attack.
The move came as suspicions grew that the gang was tipped off about the couple’s arrival just hours before the murder.
One security source said: “There are not too many comings and goings at this hotel and everyone knows when a plane lands.
“It is possible a local, or a member of the hotel staff, deliberately or accidentally let slip when the British couple arrived.”
Commandos from Britain’s elite Special Boat Service have been diverted from anti-pirating duties to join the hunt for Mrs Tebbutt.
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The Kenyan government has also brought in helicopter gunships and speedboats as well as scores of soldiers and police.
Kenyan officials yesterday described the tragedy as a one-off and claimed the exclusive resort – used by stars including Sir Mick Jagger – was protected by round-the-clock security.
But some of the hotel’s 90 employees have told how armed gangs have left them living in fear after a string of violent raids on the seafront site.
One, who asked not to be named, said: “They say this is a safe place and nothing like this has happened before. But I can tell you, there have been many, many attacks from robbers.
“Sometimes they come from the sea and sometimes from the land. They always wait until it is getting dark and come in groups.”
The male worker, who tends the resort’s extensive gardens, added: “I myself was beaten and robbed only two months ago and there have been other attacks since.”
The Tebbutts, from Bishop’s Stortford, Herts, travelled to the Kenyan coast for the second part of a two-leg trip after a safari in the Masai Mara game reserve. They checked into the £900-a-night resort, near the island of Lamu, at 4pm on Saturday.
Their cottage had just a piece of cloth for a door and it is believed the gang searched at least two others before finding them.
A security guard described hearing a single gunshot ring out across the bay. Staff ran towards the British couple’s cottage and found Mr Tebbutt, still in his pyjama bottoms, lying in a pool of blood. One worker said: “We stumbled on his body. It was a horrible sight.”
Guards began searching for Mrs Tebbutt, following a trail of footprints in the sand that petered out at the water’s edge.
Hotel bosses yesterday declined to comment on the tragedy, but confirmed the complex was closed for business.
Fears were growing last night that the gunmen may have links to terror organisations such as al-Qaeda or Somalia’s al-Shabaab.
But Kenyan police commissioner Matthew Iteere, said: “So far we are treating it as a bandit attack. We’ve not received any hint pointing at a terror group.” The Foreign Office has sent a team from Nairobi to work with Kenyan authorities in a bid to secure Mrs Tebbutt’s release.
The Tebbutts have a 25-year-old son, Oliver, who has a furniture business in the West Country.
Relatives were too upset to comment yesterday.
Friends revealed Mrs Tebbutt, a social worker who helps people with drink and drug problems, is hard of hearing and wears a double hearing aid. One said: “Once the batteries run out she will have great difficulty hearing.
“It is heartbreaking to think of her in this awful situation, helpless and having seen her husband murdered.” Literary agent Carole Blake, who knew Mr Tebbutt from his work with the Book Trade Charity, said: “He was so generous with his time, so much fun, and astoundingly dedicated.”
Somali pirate victims Paul and Rachel Chandler last night told of their shock at the news.
The Chandlers, from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, were ransomed last November more than a year after they were snatched from their yacht in the Seychelles.
Rachel, 56, said: “We’re devastated and very, very sad. Our thoughts are with the families.”
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