Larissa Hooley died on the shore after being pulled from the water

A British scuba diver is fighting extradition to Malta where he faces charges of killing his partner and their friend during a holiday.

Stephen Martin was diving off Gozo in June last year with eight friends from the Brighton branch of the British Sub-Aqua Club when his girlfriend, Larissa Hooley, descended from 15m (49ft) to 35m without warning.

Mr Martin, a qualified diving instructor and IT manager, said: “She was finning down and I assumed she had dropped a torch.”

Nigel Haines and Jeremy Coster went down to help Ms Hooley and brought her to the surface. “The sea had turned really bad and it was like being in a washing machine. Jeremy went to the shore to get help,” Mr Martin said. “I could