Man who strangled British tour guide in the Caribbean jailed for 20 years

Updated
Man who strangled British tour guide in the Caribbean jailed for 20 years
Man who strangled British tour guide in the Caribbean jailed for 20 years



A 'drifter' has been jailed for 20 years for strangling a British tour guide before wrapping her body in tape and hiding it in a cupboard on the island of St Martin in the Caribbean.

Metro reports that Younes El-Mami, 32, started dating Lianne Burns, 43, on the idyllic island but four months into their relationship the Italian-Moroccan murdered her after another man complimented her at an awards bash.

El-Mami then stole money from her bank account to go out drinking and left Miss Burns, from Leigh-on-Sea in Essex, with a bag over her head on which he had written the word 'merci'.

Her body was found a day later and El-Mami confessed to the killing.

The Daily Mail reports that he was jailed on 1 March on the neighbouring island of Guadeloupe but despite a full trial his motivation for the murder remains unclear.

Lianne's sisters Kim Spooner, 34, Lisa Burns, 45, both gave up their jobs and spent £45,000 on legal fees to ensure their sister was given justice.

Kim, a former communications manager said: 'El-Mami was a drifter. He had just arrived on the island and she offered him a roof over his head. It was her kindness that was her undoing.

'The awards ceremony was a really happy day for Lianne. The next day she was in the local paper accepting the award.

'By that time Lianne was already dead. The witnesses said El-Mami got more and more agitated throughout the evening.'

'A 65-year-old man said Lianne looked lovely, as she was all dressed up for the ceremony, and he got angry about that.

'He had about eight to ten interviews with the police and in each one his story changed and he remembered different parts of the evening.

'He said he was playing a game where he pretended to strangle Lianne. But she did not find it funny.

'He said when she tried to walk away he killed her. We do not know what triggered it or why he killed her. He must have had so much pent up aggression to go from zero to murder.'

Lianne moved to French-controlled St Martin in 1999 after visiting on a cruise holiday and falling in love with the island. She worked for company Rendezvous Travel.

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