- The robber attacked his victims yesterday in the lobby of a beach guesthouse
A British holidaymaker witnessed his girlfriend being murdered by a gunman in the lobby of their hotel in Brazil yesterday in a horrific robbery gone wrong.
The tourist, whose name was reported as 38-year-old Philip Donald, was staying in a a beachfront guesthouse in Praia do Cumbuco, in the state of Ceará, with his Brazilian partner Ruth Mary Silva de Oliveira Ribeiro when the couple were attacked by a violent robber.
The unknown assailant, wearing a motorcycle helmet, approached the pair at the hotel reception just before 4pm as they were en route to the nearby Fortaleza airport.
Terrifying CCTV footage shows the thief demanding their money before grabbing the 46-year-old Brazilian woman and trying to drag her away. However, the British victim jumped into action and prevented the thief from escaping.
The trio got into a violent struggle that spilled into the hotel gardens, where the robber pulled out a gun and fired a series of shots at his victims.
The British tourist was staying at a beachfront guesthouse in Praia do Cumbuco, in the state of Ceará, with his Brazilian partner when the pair were attacked by a violent robber
The unknown assailant, wearing a motorcycle helmet, approached the pair at the hotel reception just before 4pm.
Terrifying surveillance footage shows the thief demanding their money before grabbing the Brazilian national and attempting to drag her away
The British tourist was staying at a beachside guesthouse in the state of Ceara with his Brazilian partner when the pair were attacked by a violent robber
The Brazilian woman died at the scene, just metres away from her British boyfriend, who was also seriously injured in the attack.
He was rushed to hospital for intensive treatment, but there have been no local media updates on his condition.
Local media reported that the couple had over £4,000 in cash on them at the time of the robbery. The attacker was said to have been at the scene and asked for the couple.
This suggests that the robber already knew his victims or had somehow received information that they were carrying large sums of money. However, no further information has been released.
Police are now searching for the shooter and his motorcycle-riding accomplice who helped him escape.
Brazil’s Secretary of Public Security and Social Protection said four different homicide squads are investigating the killing.
An FCDO spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘We are assisting the family of a British man who is in hospital in Brazil and are in contact with local authorities.’