The parents of a honeymooner left fighting for his life after robbers shot him and killed his bride flew out to Antigua today to be at his bedside.

Benjamin Mullany, 31, who was shot in the neck, remained in a critical condition in hospital, police said.

His wife, doctor Catherine Mullany, also 31, died in the suspected robbery at their luxury resort.

Antigua's Police Commissioner Gary Nelson said his 350-strong force has pulled out all the stops to capture those responsible.

He said: "We are all deeply shocked and saddened -this is the first visitor homicide in over ten years and it is a situation we never want to see repeated.

"Everything is being done to bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice.

"On behalf of the Royal Antigua and Barbuda Police Force, we extend our most sincere condolences to the families."

A Ministry of Tourism spokesman said couple's families are expected to arrive in Antigua today.

He said they are being assisted by island government officials and Foreign Office representatives.

The spokesman added that almost 100,000 British people visited Antigua and Barbuda last year, 8% more than the previous year.

A hospital spokeswoman confirmed that Mr Mullany remained in a critical condition.

She would not comment on reports he is brain dead and in a coma after a bullet entered his neck and travelled up through his skull.

The couple were on the last day of their honeymoon when robbers apparently burst into their cottage as they slept at about 5am on Sunday.

They left for a two-week honeymoon after marrying at a church in the Swansea valley in South Wales on July 12.

Andy Liburd, news editor of the Antigua Sun, said the murder had sent "shockwaves" through the whole community.

He said: "Here in Antigua, people can be in custody for two days before police either arrest or release them.

"The police will want to run the investigation to its fullest course and make sure all the pieces are in place before they make arrests."

Mrs Mullany's parents spoke of their devastation yesterday in a brief statement.

They said: "We are deeply shocked and devastated at the recent events in Antigua and are struggling to comprehend what has happened to Ben and Catherine."

Antigua Police spokesman Inspector Cornelius Charles said detectives had interviewed a number of "persons of interest" but did not yet have a suspect.

No murder weapon has been found and so far officers have not spoken to anyone who saw the offenders.

Mr Charles said police were putting "every resource" into tracking down Mrs Mullany's killer, adding that the public response had been very good.

"Some of those calls are not necessarily leading to anything tangible at this time, but we do embrace the fact that people are calling and giving us information about things they suspect," he said.

"That's a good sign because people are taking this personally - people on Antigua are outraged at this."

He could not confirm how many people had been questioned but said it was "more than likely" that the killing happened in a botched robbery.

Officers have not yet been able to speak to Mr Mullany.

Mr Charles said: "I think he can answer a lot of questions.

"So far we haven't had anyone who can really say they saw (what happened) - we have had people who say they heard."

Antigua's British-trained forensic specialists visited the holiday cottage yesterday and collected samples to be sent off for analysis.

Scenes of crime officers will return to the hotel today to check that there is nothing important they have overlooked.

Mr Charles went on: "The intricacies of the investigation are not for the public because they can interfere.

"We cannot afford to expose the investigation to a possible suspect as to what we think and where we are going."