The British woman beheaded in a supermarket on the Spanish island of Tenerife has been named as Jennifer Mills-Westley.

The British woman beheaded in a supermarket on the Spanish island of Tenerife has been named as Jennifer Mills-Westley.

Her family paid tribute to her and said they were devastated by her death in the town of Arona, about 10 miles from the popular beach resort of Los Cristianos, in the south of the island.

Her daughter, Sarah, said: "Mum retired a number of years ago and was fully enjoying her retirement travelling between Tenerife and France, where she spent time visiting her daughter and grandchildren, and her other daughter in Norfolk.

"She was full of life, generous of heart, would do anything for anyone. We now have to find a way of living without her love and light and we would ask at this difficult time for some privacy as we try to come to terms with our loss."

The Foreign Office has confirmed that consular officials are liaising with local authorities investigating the killing.

Spanish police have identified the alleged killer as Deyan Valentinov D, but have not released a surname. The 28-year-old unemployed Bulgarian is said to have attacked Ms Mills-Westley, 60, with a knife and then fled into the street with the severed head in his hands, according to witnesses.

Colin Kirby, a reporter for Tenerife Magazine, explained what he had seen as he walked past the shop at around 10.30am.

He said he had spoken to an English couple who were in the shop when the incident happened.

"They said this guy just walked in, pulled a big knife and started stabbing at her."

He added: "I didn't see the attack, but I saw the guy. I was walking past the commercial centre and I saw a small group of people outside. There was a guy from the medical centre going down the ramp and I thought perhaps someone had fainted.

"I heard people shouting and screaming and making a commotion. A Hispanic-looking guy, very scruffy, was walking behind me muttering to himself, carrying what I thought was a joke head by the hair, with blood.

"It made me think of Clash of The Titans, gorgons. I thought … 'it's a joke'. The man was in his late 20s … He was a bit dishevelled, unwashed, he was wearing a jumper and trousers, when everyone else is wearing shorts. Even at 10.30 in the morning, it's boiling."

Kirby said that the man ran off as security guards and others chased after him.

"Security guards rushed from the shop where he'd been, chased him across the road and by this time he was pinned to the floor. By this time he was empty-handed and was on the other side of the road."

"The security and the police had to hold people off – they were queueing up – they were trying basically to kick the hell out of the guy."

Los Cristianos has a large expat British community.

A witness told the radio broadcaster Cadena Ser that he saw the man drop the head on the pavement after coming out of the shop.

"I parked my car and saw a man running out with something bloody in his hands and a security guard chasing him. He threw it to the ground. It almost hit me.

"What he had been carrying was a woman's head."

You Might Also Like :