British teacher murdered on holiday in Cuba

A young teacher from Goosnargh, Lancashire who went on holiday to Cuba because of its "low crime rate" was murdered in her hostel room by a security guard.

An inquest heard how Lara Jones, 26, flew to the Caribbean island after reading that it "was a haven for female travellers" in guide books and had the "lowest crime rate in the Western Hemisphere".

According to Lancashire Evening Post, Ms Jones was strangled by an unnamed security guard at the hostel where she was staying in Havana in March 2012.

A receptionist and maid at Convento de Santa Clara Havana went to check on the English language teacher when she did not turn up for a trip she was booked on.

They found her dead in her room.

The Daily Express reports that the man was sentenced to 22 years in prison during a hearing in closed court in Cuba.

Home Office pathologist Dr Alison Armour told an inquest in Preston: "There were obvious signs of asphyxia to the body.

"The marks to the neck and face in my view would be in keeping with strangulation and a degree of smothering of nose and mouth by a soft object or hand."

Ms Jones' mother Carolyn Jones said: "He (the guard) gave no explanation as to his reasoning but it was clear from the evidence and the medical examinations carried out that he had entered Lara's room and, approaching her from behind, had taken Lara by surprise and had suffocated her."

In a statement, Jones family said: "Lara loved life and lived it to the full with unfaltering positivity and seemingly boundless energy."

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