Arrests after Spanish isle deaths

The couple were landlords of a pub in Mumbles before emigrating

Spanish police have arrested three people in connection with the Canary Islands deaths of a couple who were originally from Swansea.

The bodies of Brian Johnson, 59, and his wife Tina, 57, were found on Sunday morning partially buried under stones near La Oliva, on Fuerteventura.

The couple, who ran the Park Inn in Mumbles during the 1980s, moved to the island from Wales nine years ago.

Police are continuing to search for a fourth person.

The bodies were discovered early on Sunday in the north of the island by a huntsman with a dog after the couple were reported missing by their son, Sam, on Tuesday.

He was a very nice person to know and it's a huge shock to the local community with this sort of thing happening Jerry Bligh, friend of the Johnsons

Their unlocked car was found in the nearby town of Correlajo with their passports inside. The couple's dog was believed to have been found in their garden.

Sam Johnson, who also lives on the island, told police his parents were last seen on Tuesday morning when they left their home to collect rent from a tenant nearby.

The three suspects had already been detained when the bodies of the couple were found.

The three held are a father and son, along with a friend. They have not been named, but are all local.

'Fantastic family'

Villagers in the popular seaside resort of Mumbles spoke of their shock at the news that the bodies found in Fuerteventura were those of the popular former publican and his wife.

Frazer Gardener, who lives near the pub, said: "When Tina and Brian came there they transformed the place and of course Sam the boy grew up there.

"Fantastic family and it's so tragic what's happened.

"It was more like a family atmosphere in there rather than them behind the bar and it became as it is now, a very popular local.

"I feel sorry for Sam - it's tragic."

The Johnson family issued a statement thanking "everybody who has helped, and expressed their heartfelt concern".

It went on: "Now that Tina and Brian have been found in such tragic circumstances, the family and friends ask that their period of grief be respected, and to be given time to come to terms with such deep sadness.

"The family are confident that the police are doing everything possible to swiftly bring to justice the people involved.

"Funeral arrangements are being made and details will be released as soon as possible."

'Absolutely devastated'

In Fuerteventura, Jerry Bligh, a friend of the couple, said the deaths had come as a shock to the local community.

He told BBC Wales: "We met the couple about four years ago. Brian and myself are very interested in music. We used to go to local concerts together.

Fuerteventura is the Canary island closest to the African continent

"He was a very, very interesting person. He knew a huge amount about blues music and that was his love.

"He was a very nice person to know and it's a huge shock to the local community with this sort of thing happening. You don't expect things to happen like this on an island in the middle of nowhere."

He said Sam Johnson was "absolutely devastated" by his parents' death.

Mr Bligh was involved in a search for the couple which was called off when they heard on local radio that the bodies had been found at 0145 local time.

The Foreign Office confirmed the couple had earlier gone missing.

La Guardia Civil in Puerto del Rosario on the island are in charge of the investigation.

The murders come two months after two men were jailed for murdering another couple from Wales who were killed when they were hunting for a retirement home in Spain.

Anthony and Linda O'Malley, from Llangollen, died in September 2002 after being abducted when they went to see a villa on the Costa Blanca.