'Cannibal' attack leaves woman dead in Welsh village hotel

A 22-year-old woman has died in an alleged cannibal attack at a south Wales village hotel, where a man was said to have been found "eating" her face.

Police arrived at the Sirhowy Arms Hotel in Argoed, Blackwood, in the early hours of Thursday morning after a member of public reported that a man was attacking a woman.

Officers tasered and arrested a 34-year-old man, identified as Matthew Williams. He later became unresponsive and died at the scene, despite police and paramedics administering first aid.

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The 22-year-old woman, from Blackwood, who has not been named, was also pronounced dead at the scene. The BBC says she was murdered "in an act of cannibalism".

Hotel security staff burst into the room after warning Williams he was not allowed to have women back to the hotel, claims the Daily Mirror. He was allegedly found "eating" his victim's face.

One local resident told the newspaper that the man "went Hannibal Lecter on the woman" and an unnamed security guard at the hotel also claimed the killer had been eating the woman.

The paper says Williams, who had just served half a five-year prison sentence for a violent attack on his partner, had taken his victim back to the hotel for a drink.

Officers have refused to comment on the victim's injuries or reports they were in a relationship.

A spokesman for Caerphilly County Council told the Western Mail that the hotel is used as temporary accommodation for single homeless people.

A murder investigation has been launched into the death of the woman, although police are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident. The Independent Police Complaints Commission will be investigating the death of the man.

Forensics experts in white head-to-toe overalls were combing the area on Thursday, as residents watched from the other side of the police cordon.