A British schoolgirl was shot dead and her parents injured after their reclusive neighbour objected to them tidying their garden in a picturesque Brittany hamlet, other residents have said, reports The Times.
Solaine Thornton, 11, died at the scene after being shot in the chest. Her father Adrian, 52, was seriously injured. Her mother, Rachel, 49, was shot in the back and head while her sister Celeste, eight, escaped to raise the alarm.
Dirk Raats, 71, their Dutch neighbour, has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. Tests are reported to have discovered traces of drugs. His wife, Marlene van Hook, is being questioned on suspicion of concealing a weapon.
Rachel Thornton, who works as a home help for social services, told police years ago they had been threatened by a neighbour who had a gun.
Her daughters were playing on a swing under an oak tree on the edge of the garden of their home in Saint-Herbot as the parents sat on a bench during a barbecue on Saturday evening. They were shot from behind a hedge about 5m away.
The Thorntons, believed to hail from Manchester, moved into the large house in 2019; the retired Dutch couple have lived in the nearby converted school building since 2017. Adrian Thornton removed three ramshackle wood stores and cleared undergrowth and trees to make a pretty garden where the family keep ducks and grow vegetables.
A neighbour, who has lived in the village since 1948, said: “The Dutch man did not like the land being cleared. He said he wanted his privacy. The English family are very popular; I speak with them every day. I have never spoken to the Dutch people, they are reclusive.