A SUFFOLK couple have vowed to continue travelling, undaunted by the horror of being shot while on holiday in Barbados.

Philip and Ann Prior, from Bedfield, near Framlingham, were gunned down last month during a visit to Bridgetown on a leg of their round-the-world cruise.

They were both shot while returning to the P&O ship from a Commonwealth Day service at the capital’s St Michael’s Cathedral.

Mrs Prior, 59, whose bag was stolen in the attack, remained in hospital for two days after being shot in her right leg.

Mr Prior, 72, who was kept under observation for a another day and still has a bullet in his leg, said: “I heard my wife shout and turned immediately. Within seconds I felt a pain in my groin and saw that she was clearly injured and bleeding profusely.

“Two or three people came to our aid and hailed passing cars to contact the emergency services.”

Police arrived at the scene followed by paramedics, who took the pair for treatment at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where they were later met by detectives, along with the British High Commissioner and the local P&O port agent.

Upon their release, the couple chose to take up a generous offer from one well-wisher and rejoin the cruise. Mr Prior said: “My wife doesn’t like travelling by air and we didn’t want to fly back before recuperating.

“We were visited by the minister for tourism and told that a kind philanthropist had contacted the port agent with an offer to fly us by private jet to St Kitts where we could join the ship.

“I still have a .22 bullet in my right thigh. My GP in Framlingham said he would have to make enquiries as it’s not something often come across in rural Suffolk.

“It hasn’t put us off travelling. These things happen - we just didn’t expect it to happen to us. There isn’t a place in the world where tourist aren’t affected by some adverse situation.

“We hope to be able to continue holiday-making and have plans in mind to go to Australia.”

Mr and Mrs Prior were also visited in hospital by the Dean of St Michael’s Cathedral and have sent an open letter of thanks to a Barbados newspaper.

The attack came on March 17 - towards the end of their three-month P&O cruise around the Caribbean and South America on board the Adonia, which left Southampton on January 8.

Two men from St Philip, Barbados, have been charged in connection with the robbery and remanded in custody.

Royal Barbados Police said one man was charged with robbery, along with another man also charged with “serious bodily harm to two visitors”.