Tony and Linda O'Malley's bodies have been flown home

Anthony and Linda O'Malley left Llangollen in August 2002 to look for a retirement home on the Costa Blanca.

Their bodies were found six months later in March 2003, buried in the cellar of a house near the coastal resort of Benidorm.

They were met at Manchester Airport on Friday by North Wales Police, who escorted their bodies to Wrexham Maelor Hospital.

The official release of their bodies by a judge in the town of Alcoy ends months of anguish for their families and will enable them to go ahead with planning their funerals.

"Her Majesty's coroner will enquire into the circumstances of their death and a second post-mortem will be undertaken on Monday by a Home Office pathologist," said a police spokeswoman.

Their bodies were found in the villa's cellar

Death certificates will be issued and the bodies released to the family.

Two South American men await trial for the murder of Linda O'Malley, 55, and her husband, who was 42.

The couple, who were originally from Liverpool, disappeared while on a two-week holiday to look for property.

They had been the subject of a missing persons inquiry for six months before they were discovered at a house in Alcoy.

A post-mortem examination revealed Mrs O'Malley had been badly beaten before being strangled.

Mr O'Malley's body was found with a plastic bag over his head.