Gunned down in front of husband: Last-minute Tunisia break led to terror of attack

Sally Adey was on a dream cruise holiday with husband Robert when she was shot dead in an horrific attack on the Bardo Museum in Tunis.

The 57-year-old, who lived near Albrighton, had only booked the trip in the past couple of weeks, a family friend said last night.

She was among 23 people killed in the attack, which ISIS says is 'the first drop of rain' in an assault on tourist sites. Mrs Adey was a solicitor and had worked in Wolverhampton, Bridgnorth, Birmingham and Telford. She and Mr Adey, 52, lived in Caynton, near Albrighton.

Neighbours said the holiday was booked last minute only a week ago. The couple married in 1984 and have a daughter, Molly, 23, and son, Harry, 20.

Julia Holden, a partner at Shakespeares Solicitors in Birmingham and a close friend of the family, issued a statement on their behalf. She said: "Sally Adey was a much-loved daughter, wife and mother. The family are devastated by her loss. They are also saddened for others who have lost people they love, and for those who have been hurt."

The assault by two gunmen happened at the Bardo Museum in the capital Tunis on Wednesday. The Adeys' cruise ship MSC Splendida left its home port of Genoa on Sunday for a seven-day voyage. It had docked in port in the early morning and Mrs Adey was on an excursion to the museum. Mr Adey accompanied her but is believed to be unharmed.

Friends and neighbours have told how she had been looking forward to her holiday.

Terry Holmes, 66, said: "Sally and Rob are really lovely people, we've always been as close as neighbours can be. I think this was a last-minute booking though, because she only told me they were going away last week. She was so excited about it."

Another neighbour, Annette Crawshaw, 73, added: "Sally's a solicitor and the family are really lovely. She never had a bad word to say about anyone and really did seem to be a loving, caring woman.

"She loved her children, she loved her job and every time we spoke to her she was always very pleasant. It really is appalling news. I can't believe it's happened."

Mr Adey attended Tettenhall College, is from Wolverhampton and still has family in the area.

His brother Andrew is a dentist on Tettenhall Road, with the Larcholme firm previously owned by their father.

The Islamic State group has issued a statement claiming responsibility for the attack.

Nine people have now reportedly been arrested in connection with it.

One of the gunmen was reportedly known to security forces in Tunisia, which has seen 3,000 people join the terrorists in Syria.

The IS statement described the attack as a 'blessed invasion of one of the dens of infidels and vice in Muslim Tunisia', and appeared on a forum that carries messages from the group.

The ambush on the museum, which houses Roman artefacts, was the worst at a tourist site in Tunisia in years.

Friends of Mrs Adey's elderly father said he had been 'shattered into a million pieces' when he heard his daughter had been killed.

Retired Wing Commander Robert Johnson, 90, known as Bob to friends, was too upset to speak at his Lincolnshire home.