Two held over murder of Yorkshire company boss, 71, in Tenerife

TWO teenagers from South America were being held in the holiday island of Tenerife today in connection with the murder of a semi-retired Yorkshire businessman.

Company director Peter Cockshutt was found dead at his holiday home in the Canary Island resort of Costa del Silencio on Monday.

He had been stabbed twice in the chest and once in the leg during what police described as a "particularly horrific" attack.

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The 71-year-old's body was found in a pool of blood by a neighbour, who was alerted by a light left on since the previous day. Inside, windows had been broken and the two-bedroom villa ransacked.

Local police said today that a 14 and a 16 year-old from Uruguay and Chile had been arrested.

A spokesman for the paramilitary Civil Guard said: "It is believed this man was killed in the course of a robbery. Two windows had been smashed and the house was in disorder."

The villa and its large garden with high white-washed surrounding walls remained cordoned off last night as police continued their forensic analysis of the scene.

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Mr Cockshutt and his wife Patricia are believed to have shared their time between the property and their main home in Yorkshire – a large converted hall in the village of Brandesburton, near Driffield.

Mrs Cockshutt is reported to have returned to the UK from Tenerife last Friday. Her husband was thought to be alone in the villa when the attack took place.

Speaking from their Brandesburton home, the couple's son-in-law – who declined to be named – spoke of the family's devastation.

"We are all shocked, absolutely devastated, " he said. "This is still raw. She (Patricia) is devastated. We have heard there may have been a break-in at Peter's apartment. We have also heard there may be some involvement with Eastern Europeans, gypsies – we know there are lots of them about round there, but beyond that we know as much as you."

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Mr Cockshutt is thought to have been semi-retired but remained the sole director of an import firm called Eco Aqua Solutions he set up in Spain last May.

Originally from the Manchester area, he lived with his wife in Cherry Burton, near Beverley, before moving to a substantial detached property in Fitling, East Yorkshire, about seven years ago.

Residents there said the Cockshutts were a pleasant couple who spent a lot of time abroad.

"They seemed very nice," one villager said. "I remember they used to go the village brunches at the Methodist chapel. They were a pleasant couple."

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The owner of the Fitling Arms, Steve Fisher, said Mr Cockshutt was a regular customer in the pub.

"We would chat for hours about all sorts of things, " Mr Fisher said. "He was a very helpful person. When we had a problem with the power supply he shot off and got his testing gear and we were away. He was a lovely fellow."

The couple moved to Brandesburton last year and are thought to have bought the villa in Tenerife as a second home in 2006.

The property is in the Tamaide development on the Costa de Silencio on Tenerife's southern tip, just a few miles along the coast from the large resort of Playa de las Americas, where thousands of Britons will be heading during next week's half-term break.

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Last night local news media were linking the murder to a spate of robberies in the area.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We can confirm the death of a British national in Tenerife, Spain, on February 8. Consular staff are contacting the next of kin and will offer consular assistance. Local police are investigating."

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