Was the honeymoon shark victim killed by a cover-up? Three other attacks, fishermen's bait lured sharks to the bay but still this couple were told there was no dange

An achingly beautiful arc of powder-white sand framed by giant boulders and luxuriant palm fronds, Anse Lazio beach graces the cover of upmarket travel brochures, attracting affluent holidaymakers to the Seychelles. Last Tuesday afternoon, therefore, when the islands’ government learnt that a British honeymooner had been savaged by a shark while snorkelling at this iconic location — the second fatal attack there inside a fortnight — a damage-limitation exercise quickly swung into place.

Speaking on the BBC’s Today programme, tourist chief Alain St Ange gave a grimly passable impression of Larry Vaughn — the embattled seaside town mayor in the Jaws movie — as he played down the danger to the 180,000 tourists who visit the Seychelles each year. Tragedy: Smiling newlyweds Ian Redmond 30, and Gemma Houghton 27 before the shark attack that killed Mr Redmond Risibly describing the rogue predator as a ‘foreign shark’ (as if sea creatures have nationalities), he dismissed the attacks as a freak occurrence, and claimed software developer Ian Redmond, 30, from Lancashire, and Frenchman Nicolas Virolle, who died on August 1, were the only victims in the islands since 1963. My investigation into this ghastly episode suggests a very different story, however. Indeed, though Mr Redmond’s grieving widow, Gemma, was admirably reluctant to criticise the Seychelles authorities this week, after making extensive inquiries into his death I am convinced it was entirely preventable.