HOLY Trinity Church in Salcombe has selected their charity of the month as ‘the family of Marco Antonio Villeda’.

In July, Antonio, 58, was brutally murdered at home in La Ceiba, Honduras, following an altercation with a young man who tried to steal his tablet-computer. Antonio’s sister, Carmen Boxwell has lived in the South Hams for 30 years, and is a parishioner at Holy Trinity Church.

Carmen has been deeply affected by her brother’s death, telling the Gazette this week: ‘In some parts of the world, life means nothing. You cannot feel safe in Honduras - people attack you for phones, tablets, shopping or money.

‘Bad people stop buses and rob passengers with knives, pistols and machetes. If you resist, they kill you, take your money and run away. Honduras is a difficult country to live in, it’s really dangerous.’

Carmen continued: ‘Antonio was in front of his house at 5.30pm, with his son and nephew. The killer demanded that he give him his tablet, and when he refused, he shot him twice in the head. He was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital. My family and I are devastated. Antonio hadn’t done anything wrong to anybody.’

Honduras has the highest murder rate in the world, fuelled by its position as a major drug trafficking route into the United States. Honduran society has little social security and so the family have been left not only bereaved, but also destitute.

Holy Trinity Church has produced a ‘Daily Prayer for Advent’ book, donations from the book will go to Antonio’s family. Antonio visited Salcombe for Carmen’s daughter’s wedding in September 2012, staying for six months and regularly attending services at Holy Trinity. A memorial service was held for Antonio at Holy Trinity in July.

Carmen said: ‘Father Daniel has been a great support to me and my family. When Antonio was staying in Salcombe, he went to church with me every Sunday. He thought Salcombe was a beautiful place, and loved going to church. Everybody got to know him and he became part of the Holy Trinity family.’

Father Daniel French said: ‘We are very aware of the tragedy of Antonio’s death. He stayed in Salcombe for six months a few years ago, and at that time was a practising member of Holy Trinity Church. As a result, we were all very moved to do something to help.

‘I met Antonio on a number of occasions, he was a lovely, gentle, self-effacing man. The church is very aware that a family has lost its main breadwinner. With no safety net of social security in Honduras, things are looking pretty bleak for Antonio’s family. He leaves behind a widow and five children.’

Money raised will be used to provide provisions for Antonio’s family, pay for funeral expenses and a doctor to care for Antonio’s seven-year-old son, who witnessed the murder.

To donate money to the family of Marco Antonio Villeda, visit the website https://crowdfunding.justgiving.com/Marco-Antonio-Villeda.