Spain murder detectives praised

Anthony and Linda O'Malley were planning to retire in Spain

A coroner has commended North Wales Police for solving the Spanish murders of a couple killed while house-hunting.

Officers tracked the killers of Anthony and Linda O'Malley after they sent e-mails offering to be negotiators.

Recording unlawful killing verdicts at Flint, coroner John Hughes said the "dogged determination" of the O'Malley family and three police officers led to two men being convicted two months ago.

The Llangollen couple, originally from Liverpool, died in September 2002.

The coroner will write to the chief constable suggesting that the officers - Det Supt Alun Jones, Det Sgt Stephen Lloyd and Det Con David James - are commended by the force.

Two Venezuelan brothers-in-law, Jorge Real Sierra and Jose Antonio Velazquez, received jail sentences totalling more than 100 years in May for the murders of Mr and Mrs O'Malley, who were 42 and 55.

If Spanish nationals had gone missing in north Wales, I hope we would have done a better job Det Sgt Stephen Lloyd

Mr and Mrs O'Malley were snatched when they went to view a Costa Blanca villa rented by their murderers and then advertised for sale.

They were kept bound and gagged and Mr O'Malley was forced at gunpoint to remove £17,000 from a bank account the couple had opened in Benidorm before he and his wife were killed.

The Flint inquest was told Spanish authorities were not interested in investigating the disappearances of the O'Malleys, who were looking for a retirement home in September 2002.

Spanish police took the couple's disappearance seriously only after e-mails were sent months later by one of the killers offering to be a hostage negotiator and North Wales Police officers went to Spain, the inquest heard.

Det Sgt Stephen Lloyd told the inquest; "My view is if Spanish nationals had gone missing in north Wales, I hope we would have done a better job."

The killers are appealing against their sentence

Coroner Mr Hughes told the hearing: "I think insufficient credit has been given to the police."

He added: "I'm going to write to the chief constable to commend the three of those officers."

He told Bernard O'Malley: "The dignity and the appropriate behaviour of the family left me in admiration of you."

He added: "I want to recognise the dogged determination of the family."

After the inquest Bernard O'Malley, the brother of Anthony O'Malley, said he was full of admiration for North Wales Police.

"What John Hughes said was a true reflection and I would particularly like to thank the three police officers involved," he said.

Mr O'Malley said he and the family were not concerned that the two Venezuelans were now planning appeals.

He said: "As a family we have seen justice done."

'Defining moment'

"We will always remember Anthony and Linda. This will be with us for the rest of our lives but we're determined to move on and we're going to."

Det Sgt Lloyd said outside the inquest: "It's always nice to be commended for your work.

"It's one of those occasions where I was pleased to be a police officer today."

He said the whole case had been one of the "defining moments" of his career.

He added: "This was one of those which I will probably never ever forget".