A British man has been murdered alongside his wife during a suspected robbery at their home on a Caribbean island.

Richard Wheeler, 73, and his wife Grace were found dead by their gardener in the village of Carnbee in Tobago.

A spokesperson for the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service said Mrs Wheeler’s body was discovered on the lawn with a cut to her neck on Tuesday morning.

Officers searching the home said they found Mr Wheeler “face down in a pool of blood with chop wounds to both arms and the back of the head”.

“An initial assessment suggests robbery as the possible motive as the bedroom and living room areas were ransacked,” a statement said.

“However, all avenues are being explored and all leads pursued.”

Mr Wheeler was a partner in the local office of Lex Caribbean and was also a member of the Tobago Chamber of Commerce after a 40-year career in the legal profession.

He was registered as a solicitor in the UK until last year and worked for a firm in Sheffield in the 90s before taking up a post with the Hong Kong government.

The esteemed lawyer had attended Ratcliffe College and the College of Law, Lancaster Gate, London.

Mrs Wheeler, 67, was local and worked for a real estate agency. The couple lived together for 16 years in Carnbee.

A spokesperson for the Foreign Office spokesman said staff were travelling to Tobago to support family members.

“They will also meet senior police officers investigating this terrible crime after our high commissioner spoke with Trinidad and Tobago's police commissioner earlier today,” he added.

Diane Hadad, chairman of the Tobago Division of the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Commerce, described Mr Wheeler as a “gentleman” and called the murder a “tragedy”.

Ms Hadad, who lives near the couple, told the Press Association they were “friendly, always smiling, always laughing”, adding: “They led a simple life, a friendly life. They were not people who caused trouble.”

The community has been rocked by the murder, added Ms Hadad, who called on authorities to act and bring the perpetrators to justice.