Wife’s tribute to honeymoon shark attack victim

Gemma Redmond said she and her husband Ian were “having so much fun” on their dream holiday before it turned into a tragedy on Tuesday.

Mr Redmond, 30, from Lancashire, was savaged by a shark while swimming off Anse Lazio beach on Praslin, the second largest island in the Seychelles. .

Mrs Redmond said in a statement: “My husband and my best friend was tragically killed yesterday. I loved him so much and he was a very special husband, a thoughtful son and a devoted brother. He worked tirelessly to give us both a wonderful married life and home and I want to thank him for nine years of joy.

“We were having so much fun and we were so excited about our future together. Myself, our families and our friends are devastated and shocked by what has happened. The loss of Ian has left a gaping hole in our hearts that will never be filled.

He was always calm and collected, strong and brave, witty and intelligent, handsome and caring. Gemma Redmond

“He was always calm and collected, strong and brave, witty and intelligent, handsome and caring, a remarkable individual who will be deeply and sorely missed. We are privileged and proud to have shared our lives with him.”

Local officials have issued a ban on swimming in certain areas until the shark is captured.

Earlier this month a 36-year-old French tourist was killed by a shark in the same area of Indian Ocean archipelago.

Dr Chris Clarke, an expert on shark behaviour in the Indian Ocean who spends much of his time in the Seychelles, told Channel 4 News: “Shark populations are quite low compared to figures historically, so it may well be the same shark that carried out the other fatal attack earlier this month.

“I think the attack could have been by a Tiger Shark as they are indigenous to the area. The reason it may have attacked is because it’s mating season and during this time they swim close to the shore and they become far more aggressive. The males are known to bite the females. Shark attacks on humans are still very rare.”

Eyewitness Jeanne Vargiolu, 56, owner of a nearby restaurant, said she went to the beach after hearing ambulance sirens to find a French doctor treating the man and “a lot of police officers” surrounding him.

She said police told her the man had lost one arm, had a badly damaged leg and holes in his chest and stomach from shark bites.

“I saw his wife talking to about five people – I think one was English – that she still had hope he was still alive. They were trying to help him but they could not get him alive.”

‘No chance of surviving’

Police spokesman Jean Toussaint said the attack happened shortly before 5pm local time while Mr Redmond was swimming.

He said: “We discovered that the British citizen was badly injured on the hips and the arms. He was assisted medically but unfortunately he could not make it.

“We haven’t got the autopsy report yet but he definitely lost a lot of blood.”

He said Mr Redmond lost an arm in the attack and was taken to hospital, but could not be saved.

“He had no chance of surviving because of the nature of the injuries,” he added.

Mr Toussaint confirmed that Mr Redmond and his wife were in the second week of their honeymoon and had been due to fly home on Sunday.

He said “a big effort” was being made to catch the shark.

“We had this first incident two weeks ago and for the local community it was a freak incident because it had never been reported before around the islands. It took everybody by surprise,” he said.

First shark attack for nearly 50 years

Until this month the last recorded fatal shark attack in the Seychelles was in 1963.

Director for tourism Alain St Ange told the newspaper: “We are taking this very seriously. If there is a rogue shark out there we will try to catch it.

“We have requested shark experts from South Africa to come over to Seychelles to help us identify the type of shark it could be, but this kind of thing has never ever happened in Seychelles before.”

Mr Redmond’s uncle Ken Houghton said: “Ian was a really nice guy and well-liked by everybody. He always did the right thing and they made a super couple, very much in love.

“I can honestly say their wedding was the best wedding I’ve ever been to. It was perfect.”