The wife of an Irish-born pensioner has been charged with his murder in the Gambian capital of Banjul.
William West (76) had been missing for two weeks before his charred body was found near his beachfront home in the fishing village of Sanyang, near Banjul.
Gambia police assistant superintendent Aziz Bojang told The Irish Times yesterday that Kate West, a 26-year-old Ghanaian, had been charged in relation to Mr West's death.
Police were told that the Dublin-born widower disappeared while buying some cigars in a shop on a day trip to Senegal on July 3rd.
However, charred remains were found last week in a sack near his Sanyang holiday home.
The couple left their home in east Sussex in England six weeks ago to fly to their residence in Gambia. They had married after they met six years ago when Mr West visited the west African country.
Assistant superintendent Bojang would not say whether police were seeking anyone else in relation to the murder "for fear that it might jeopardise the investigation". He said Mr West's body was discovered last Thursday and that Mrs West was arrested on the same day.
Police have yet to establish the time of death, and have taken witness statements from several local people, including a nightwatchman at the couple's house, who said that he had only seen Mr West during the first week in early June. After that he was told he had returned to the UK.
Mrs West has denied her husband's murder, and has told officers that five Nigerian men took her husband from the house and killed him.
"She has helped us unfold the circumstances surrounding the death of her husband, and has told us that other people were responsible," Mr Bojang said.
"Clearly officers are still questioning her and are trying to piece together the rest of the jigsaw."
British forensic specialists have offered to travel to Gambia to help with the murder investigation, but Mr Bojang declined to say whether the offer had been accepted.
A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs said it was aware of the case but had not been contacted by the dead man's family.
- (Additional reporting: PA)