The ‘British’ man lynched and burned alive in the Amazon… and the dark series of events that led to the ‘English teacher’s’ horrific demise 

The full horrific story of how a ‘British’ businessman was dragged from a police station by an angry baying mob in Ecuador and burned alive can be told for the first time by MailOnline.

The Briton, named locally as Michael Hann, was lynched by angry locals determined for their own justice after the 34-year-old was arrested for allegedly shooting dead his long-term friend and business partner Rodrigo Chavez.

The circumstances surrounding the grisly death of Mr Hann, who according to locals spoke with a British accent, made headlines around the world, but the motive for the shooting and the subsequent storming of a police station has remained a mystery until now.

The Foreign Office said it is urgently working with local authorities and forensic officers in Ecuador to confirm Mr Hann’s identity.

Now MailOnline can reveal the events leading up to Mr Hann’s brutal killing.

According to sources close to the ongoing investigation, the feud between Mr Hann and his business partner began when the travel company they ran organising tours for holidaymakers ran into financial difficulties.

As the men struggled to keep the business going, Mr Chavez accused Mr Hann of being deceitful and taking money from customers without putting it through the business accounts – and cutting him out of the profits.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, when both men had been out partying, fuelled by alcohol, their ongoing tensions finally came to a head.

At around 5am, Mr Hann allegedly shot down Mr Chavez, who according to locals was ‘drunk and half-asleep’ in the street.

Previously unseen video footage from the aftermath of the shooting, shows Mr Chavez bleeding to death on the side of the pavement, his white t-shirt covered in blood.

A woman, still clutching onto her beer can and cup, could be heard wailing in the background as she filmed the horrendous scene.

Seconds later, Mr Hann was also seen being shoved to the floor before being repeatedly stomped on and kicked in the head by a group of five seeking revenge.

Mr Hann remained lying on the ground, not moving, until another individual came along and began repeatedly kicking him in the head, as he lifted his hands in protest.

At around 6am, police officers turned up at the scene and arrested Mr Hann, taking him to the local police station.

Hours later at around 3pm, however, an angry mob of more than 100 people from the local community stormed into custody, dragging Mr Hann out of the building for what has since been described as ‘indigenous justice’.

It is unclear why local police have said that they believe Mr Hann to be British or where he is from in the UK.

Mr Hann, who has still not been formally identified by forensic officers, was then set on fire in broad daylight and burned to death in front of crowds of villagers.

In the aftermath of the horrific incident, which garnered much international attention, police officers from the local force told television stations in Ecuador they did ‘everything humanly possible’ to prevent the lynching from occurring.

During a press conference held yesterday, Playas del Cuyabeno police claimed that Mr Hann had been taken into custody to protect him.

But as they were waiting for specialist officers to arrive and take the alleged shooter to Lago Agrio, the capital of the province, the furious horde ‘exceeded the capacity of seven officers’ in the station.

Speaking last night, the police chief said: ‘There had been problems between the two men that died. The man we believe to be British had shot a local man, causing his death.

‘We know that he was working and teaching English and was making reservations for tourists visiting the area.

‘But we don’t have any more information right now and that is the focus of ongoing investigations, which are seeking to determine his full name as well.’

Mr Hann and Mr Chavez are said to have founded Kichwa Pathfinder Tours less than a year ago.

The company, described as a ‘100 per cent indigenous-owned social enterprise’ which ‘offers an authentic gateway to the heart of the Amazon’, ran small-guided tours with jungle camping or community stays with indigenous people in the area.

In the past 12 months, travellers from across the world praised the company, particularly praising the ‘amazing’ locals guide who helped them immerse themselves within Amazonian indigenous cultures and spot rare wildlife.

The entrepreneurs had struck up a friendship after Mr Hann, who taught English to local schoolchildren, arrived in the community a few years prior and, according to locals, ended up living with Mr Chavez’s parents.

Yet two weeks ago, the seemingly happy friendship between co-founders took a turn when Mr Chavez accused Mr Hann of secretly taking payments from tourists and not sharing the profits with the local community.

One family friend of Rodrigo told MailOnline: ‘I was happy when they first founded Kichwa Pathfinder Tours about a year ago because I thought it would help generate employment in the community.

‘However, two weeks ago, unclear economic problems arose between them, which generated conflicts. I never thought it would end like this.’

‘Mr Chavez threatened Mr Hann first for taking payments from tourists and not paying back the community,’ a local guide added.

While local police sources told MailOnline the British man’s real name is thought to be Michael Hann, formal identification and confirmation is yet to take place.

Locals said that Mr Hann had arrived in ambiguous circumstances.

A local guide, who did not want to be named, said: ‘There were doubts about his true identity. He called himself George and refused to be photographed or filmed. He did not use social media accounts.

‘He claimed he was born in South Africa. People in the community had initially thought he was from Colombia, based on his appearance, but he spoke with an unmistakable British accent.

‘During the years he lived in Cuyabeno, he never left Playas de Cuyabeno, a remote area — an extremely unusual behavior for a foreigner. Some suspected he was hiding from something or someone.’

Another family friend said: ‘This was a horrible and traumatic case for the communities that witnessed the act. We’re all shocked. They were my friends, and I was saddened by what happened.

‘Mr Hann said he was from the UK and had been in Ecuador for several years, meeting new people until he arrived in our community, where this tragic incident occurred.

‘The community is shocked by what happened, and we’re analyzing new rules for visitors in the future, such as document checks and limited stays.’

‘We are still trying to establish the specific identity of the citizen we believe is a British national,’ the police chief in Ecuador explained last night.

‘We’re presuming he’s English, although we don’t have documents that prove his nationality status. We’re trying to confirm all the information including his migration status.

‘We don’t have any proven information relating to how long he had been in this community.’

The killing has shocked the region, which was placed under a state of emergency last year following a wave of violence, with 159 murders recorded – a staggering 70 per cent spike compared to the previous year.

Playas del Cuyabeno, despite its isolation, has seen an influx of international tourists and volunteers due to its proximity to one of Ecuador’s most treasured conservation areas.

The Foreign Office warns against ‘all but essential travel’ to scenic areas around the Ecuador-Colombia border like the Sucumbios province ‘due to the presence of organised crime linked to the production and trafficking of drugs’.

Latin America has for decades been synonymous with the drug trade thanks to ruthless cartels and criminal gangs whose power and brutality cannot by tamed by the government or the armed forces.

Some countries like Ecuador had managed to remain relatively peaceful for decades, despite bordering the notorious cocaine hotspots of Colombia and Peru.

But the coastal nation has seen murder rates soar in recent years as drug lords and criminal masterminds dug their hooks into fresh territory and exploited its ports for maximum profit.

The gruesome lynching came at the end of a Kichwa community event, according to local media.

The Kichwa, Ecuador’s largest indigenous group in the Amazon, number around 55,000 people and are protected under Article 171 of the national constitution, which grants them jurisdiction within their territories based on ancestral customs – as long as those customs do not violate national or international human rights law.