A British pub landlady has been shot dead in front of her husband during a holiday trip to Trinidad and Tobago. Elaine McGowan, 65, who co-owned The Castle Hotel in Hythe, Kent, was killed on July 5.
According to her sister, Joanne Butcher, McGowan was shot outside her godfather's home, located opposite the Trincity Mall. She was transported to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Centre, where she was pronounced dead upon arrival.
McGowan was visiting the Caribbean island nation to attend to business matters at her father's farm, Cocal Retreat, in Manzanilla. Her parents were immigrants from Trinidad and Tobago who settled in South London in the 1960s.
Her husband, Ian McGowan, was with her at the time of the attack. Police have not yet made any arrests or established a motive for the shooting. Butcher has appealed to anyone with information to contact the Trinidad and Tobago police.
McGowan is survived by her husband and a large family and circle of friends. Tributes have been shared by former colleagues, with Hemang Patel, a former colleague, describing her as a "brilliant person" and expressing shock at her death.
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) confirmed it is supporting the family of a British woman who died in Trinidad and Tobago and is in contact with local authorities.
This incident follows a separate tragedy in March, when a British tourist, James Michael Winkles, 30, drowned off the Caribbean coast of Colombia near Cartagena.