The family of a woman feared murdered by her British doctor boyfriend who was embroiled in a suspected NHS cash scam have said they are "devastated" by news of her death.

The bodies of Noemi Gergely and Titus Bradley were found in a hotel bathroom in Cape Verde earlier this month.

Police on Santo Antao, one of the group of 10 Atlantic Ocean islands off the west coast of Africa, said they believe the 28-year-old was shot dead by Bradley before he took his own life.

The 42-year-old was being investigated over allegations he embezzled around £400,000 of NHS funds from GP practices he ran and is claimed to have fled the UK a year ago, according to The Sun.

Launching an online fundraising campaign to pay for the repatriation of Ms Gergely's body and a memorial service in her Transylvanian home town, Lorand Gergely said: "We were devastated when we found out that our dear Noemi is no longer with us.

"After the initial shock, we realised that the repatriation to Transylvania will be costly and time-consuming.

"We want to honour her last wish to be cremated and then her remains to be scattered in the sea, but first, we would like to offer the opportunity to her dear family and friends to say goodbye to her in her hometown."

Helder Bentub, manager of the Divin' Art Guesthouse, said the couple had been staying there from April 13 until they died on April 15 and told how staff heard them arguing in the restaurant and their room.

Speaking to the Press Association, he said: "We did not see much of them but they seemed friendly.

"But then they were heard arguing in the restaurant and then went upstairs.

"After, there were two gunshots. We called the police and went upstairs and found a man and a woman lying in the bathroom. They were dead.

"Then the police came, they were everywhere, searching everything, the whole room for a long time."

Santo Antao police chief Cipriano Bandeira told the Press Association officers believed it was a murder-suicide and they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths.

He said: "We believe he shot the woman and then himself using a 6.35mm pistol. We found the weapon."

In 2009 the spear fishing and super car enthusiast, originally thought to be from Wales, hit the headlines after claiming to have broken a record by catching a 10ft long, 300lb blue marlin without using a rod and line off Ascension Island in the South Atlantic.

At the time it was reported he lived in Portesham, Dorset, with his wife and 18-month-old son, and worked in nearby Weymouth.

It is thought he met Ms Gergely three years later, after which he posted several pictures on social media of their fishing holidays together and referred to her as his girlfriend.

He was registered by the General Medical Council in 2000 after graduating from the University of Leicester but was suspended from practice on March 28, according to records held by the body.

It is understood he used to run four doctors' surgeries in Hastings, East Sussex, two of which have closed while two more are now under new management.

He was also listed as a director of Manchester-based Bradley Jones Surgeries Ltd until his appointment was terminated on Thursday, Companies House records showed.

A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesman said: "Our staff are assisting the family of a British man following his death in Cape Verde and are in contact with the local authorities."

On Friday, Sussex Police said officers were deciding whether to continue their investigation into the missing NHS funds and were not able to confirm an amount.

A spokeswoman said: "In May 2017 NHS Hastings and Rother CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group) contacted us with concerns about the possible inappropriate use of funds at the Cornwallis Plaza surgery in Hastings. Our investigation has established that a substantial sum of money had been taken.

"Inquiries have been made to trace two former employees at the group in connection with the investigation.

"We have now received reports that the couple have been found dead on the island of Cape Verde via the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

"A review is being carried out and a decision will be made whether to continue with the investigation."

A CCG spokeswoman said: "Our thoughts are with the friends and family of the deceased. In view of the current police investigation we cannot comment further at this time."

To donate, visit www.fundly.com/noemi-gergely-repatriation-memorial