British man killed in Australia shark attack

The mother of shark attack victim Paul Wilcox has spoken about her sorrow at the loss of her son and said her "only comfort is he died rather than be injured (or) maimed".

Marie Wilcox, of North Wales, spoke to the BBC after her 50-year-old son was killed by a shark off the shore of Australia's Byron Bay on Tuesday.

Ms Wilcox said: "I had a happy, well-adjusted lovely son talking to me the day before. Twenty-four hours later he is dead and I still cannot take it in."

Mr Wilcox, who reportedly emigrated from the UK to Australia almost 30 years ago, had previously lived in Sydney before moving to the popular resort town of Byron Bay.

A 50-year-old man who was killed in a shark attack off the Australian coast near Byron Bay has been named as British expat Paul Wilcox.

Mr Wilcox was attacked by what was believed to be a great white shark at 10.40 am local time on Tuesday, while his wife Victoria walked on the beach.

According to The Sydney Daily Telegraph, Mr Wilcox was originally from Warwickshire and had previously lived in Sydney before moving to Australia's Gold Coast.

Read more: Man 'dies in shark attack' off Australia's east coast