11-year-old British girl shot dead, father critically injured in French village; suspect charged with murder

In yet another violent attack in France, an 11-year-old British girl was shot dead and her father seriously wounded in the garden of her home in a small French village of Brittany, after their Dutch neighbour in the northwestern region of the country allegedly opened fire, the local officials reported on Monday (June 12).

In a press conference, prosecutor Camille Miansoni told a press conference in Brest, said that the accused has been charged with murder.

What do we know about the incident?

The family was said to be in the garden of their home in the village of Saint-Herbot near Quimper in Brittany when their Dutch neighbour appeared with a firearm and allegedly shot at them multiple times, said the local prosecutor. The officials have also said that the neighbours had been embroiled in a year-long dispute over a plot of land.

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Quimper public prosecutor Carine Halley, in a statement on Sunday, said that the incident took place at around 10:00 pm (local time) and the police intervened sometime after the shooting. According to the magistrate, the 11-year-old girl was found dead at the scene while her father had sustained life-threatening injuries.

Meanwhile, Halley said that the mother’s life was not in danger while the couple’s second child did not sustain any injuries but was “in a state of shock”.The victims werelater identified as Solaine Thornton (11) and her fatherAdrianThornton.Meanwhile, Britain’s Foreign Office said it was providing consular assistance to a British family following a shooting.

Dutch national charged with murder

The statement by the local prosecutor also said that “Initial evidence suggests the victims’ neighbour, a 71-year-old Dutch pensioner, suddenly appeared armed with a firearm and fired several shots in the direction of the victims...before retreating to his home with his wife.”

According toMiansoni, during a search of theDutch couple's property, the officials also foundtwo rifles, one of which had not been previously declared. Theprosecutors also said that both Dutch nationals tested positive for alcohol and cannabis. The duohasno previous convictions.

It has been reported that the shooter only identified as a 71-year-old Dutch pensioner and his wife have surrendered to authorities and been arrested.

A police source told AFP that the neighbour had fired his rifle through a hedge before retreating to his home with his wife. While the motive was not immediately clear and police were still trying to determine the reason, “it would appear that there had been a dispute between the two neighbours for several years over a plot of land adjoining the two properties,” said Halley.

“There were neighbourhood issues, yes, a hedge, a field, but nothing more than that, not that we were aware of,” Regine Guillot, secretary of the nearest town hall in Plonevez-du-Faou told Reuters.

He added, “The village is in shock.” The town official also told the news agency that the British family had lived in the hamlet for five years while the alleged shooter was a private man. Additionally, given the gravity of the case, it was handed to the public prosecutor in Brest.

The incident also comes days after France was left shocked after four preschool children were stabbed mercilessly by a Syrian refugee knifeman in the French town of Annecy, last week.

On Thursday, around 9:45 am (local time), the suspect, wearing a blue-chequered headscarf and sunglasses, armed with a 10-centimetre-long knife, attacked a group of children.

Some even aged around three years old. One of the horrifying videos shows the suspect coming close to a baby in a pram and stabbing the little one multiple times.

(With inputs from agencies)

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