Courageous Briton gunned down in Kenya trying to save his wife and friends

Graham and Christine Warren disturbed a gang of thieves when they returned to their luxury resort home after an evening out with their visitors from the UK.

All four were ordered to lie face down on the driveway by the armed raiders.

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Mr Warren, 58, broke free in an attempt to call for help but was shot at close range. He died within an hour.

His brother Brian, who has a neighbouring property, said: "I was not surprised he was shot.

"He is not the sort of person who would have given in."

The Warrens moved from Northampton to the Indian Ocean resort of Watamu two years ago after selling their sign-writing business.

They were well known in the expat community and Mr Warren used his boat to take part in marlin fishing contests.

William Gunga, their housekeeper, said six thieves had entered the property from the beach on Friday evening.

They spent two hours ransacking the house for valuables until they heard Mr Warren's car arriving.

The men - three carrying handguns the others armed with sticks - forced the four occupants to the ground.

"He [Mr Warren] wouldn't lie down. He was trying to get past the robbers and get to the house and raise the alarm," said Mr Gunga.

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Mrs Warren, 56, was last night said to be "hysterical" and under sedation. She was being cared for by the couple's daughter, Samantha, who arrived in Kenya yesterday.

Watamu has been largely unaffected by the violence that has swept Kenya since flawed presidential-elections at the end of last year. More than 600 people have died in clashes across the country.

Police in the resort said Mr Warren's death was the result of a botched robbery.

Joseph Chesire, who is leading the investigation, said officers had arrested two suspects and recovered laptops and mobile phones that had been stolen from the house, along with £6,000 in cash.

"It seems that Mr Warren died trying to resist the attackers and protect his visitors from Britain," added Mr Chesire.

Damian Davies, owner of the Turtle Bay Beach Club in Watamu, said Mr Warren was a popular figure among the resort's expats despite being a relative newcomer.

"He was a very calm, quietly spoken, pleasant guy," he said.

"He wasn't a big pub guy but he enjoyed a drink after a day's fishing, and he loved his fishing.

"He was liked by everyone in the community which is what makes his death so devastating."