Emily Brown
A 33-year-old British man has died after being shot multiple times while on holiday in St James, Jamaica.
Sean Patterson, from West London, was found dead around midday local time on Monday (2 January) at the guest house where he had been staying in Bogue Hill.
Officers responded to the scene after Montego Bay Police received reports that Patterson had been standing by the pool of the guest house when witnesses heard 'loud explosions', Jamaica Constabulary Force told the PA news agency.
Patterson, who worked as a personal trainer, was found to have suffered gunshot wounds to his upper body and head.
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He was transported to a local hospital after being found, but was unable to be revived.
Reports from local media claim a 34-year-old man has been taken into custody following the death of Patterson. The suspect, said to be from Kingston in the UK, had allegedly been deported from England in 2013.
Local media further claims Patterson was approached by a man with a handgun who chased him as he stood by the pool at the villa at about 11.45am.
A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) confirmed to PA they have been 'supporting the family of a British man who died in Jamaica and are in contact with the local authorities'.
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According to newspaper The Gleaner, a friend of Patterson claimed the personal trainer had arrived in Jamaica on a Virgin flight from London on 29 December.
He is said to have rung in the new year while staying for three days at a popular apartment complex in Freeport, before booking in and moving to the One Love Villa.
News of Patterson's death comes just a few months after Jamaica reported a record-breaking number of UK tourists to the island after visits plunged during the coronavirus outbreak.
Speaking to Travel Weekly, the minister of tourism for Jamaica, Edmund Bartlett, said: “The UK market is doing extremely well. It is the fastest recovering market for us.
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“We are about 90% recovered for international visitors and our earnings are likely to surpass 2019’s level, which would be beyond our expectations.”
Bartlett described how 'every carrier to Jamaica is coming in full', adding: "Forward bookings are excellent for the rest of this summer [2022] and winter is shaping up to be great even against a background of inflation and recession.”
“We are one of the most tourism dependent economies in the world, so this swift recovery of British visitors to Jamaica is hugely valuable.”