Pensioner 'kills girl, 11, on swings at family BBQ after 3-year neighbour row'
A pensioner allegedly shot a British schoolgirl dead and severely wounded her parents following a "neighbour dispute" stretching back at least three years.
Details of the build-up to the bloodbath emerged following the killing of 11-year-old Solaine Thornton as she played on a set of swings with her sister during a family barbecue in the French hamlet of Saint-Herbot, near Quimper, on Saturday night.
The girl's dad, Adrian, 52, was left fighting for his life after being "hit in the head" during the horror attack in the hamlet of Saint-Herbot.
Her mum, Rachel, 49, was also injured in the shooting, which is understood to have unfolded as Solaine played on the swings with her eight-year-old sister Celeste, who managed to escape.
On Monday morning, an investigation for the murder of a child under 15 and two attempted murders was ongoing.
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The pensioner, who has not been named, was in custody along with his wife, after both were arrested by elite firearms officers.
The Thornton family were having a BBQ on Saturday (Sophie Prévost / The Telegram)A neighbour alleges the dispute started when the family "cut down all the trees that bothered them", according to the Times.
The Dutchman first threatened the family with a .22 rifle a far back as 2020, according to neighbours in the hamlet.
One said: "That’s what the dispute three years ago was all about – police were called because he was threatening the family with his rifle.
"The two families were always arguing, and the rifle escalated matters, but nobody ever believed that he would use it."
The weapon was a licensed hunting rifle, and no effort was made to confiscate it by the police, or council officials.
He regularly complained about the family cutting down trees to make way for children’s play equipment, including swings.
A 71-year-old Dutchman has been arrested (jeanmarcmorandini.com)"He was also regularly upset about the noise the family made, even though it didn’t bother anyone else – it was mainly just kids having a nice time."
The Dutchman’s wife was said to be a ‘pleasant neighbour’ who ‘said hello to people,’ but her husband was gruff and withdrawn.
Marguerite Bleuzen, Mayor of Plonévez-du-Faou, which covers Saint-Herbot, revealed that there had been "some trouble with a neighbour dispute" between the two families since at least 2020.
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"I intervened with my deputies when we were elected," she said. "There was a problem with the land around their properties, and with noise pollution – it started from there."
Following the official intervention three years ago, there had been "no emergency", but Ms Bleuzen was aware that arguments continued to simmer.
"This morning, tongues are loosening," she said. "I think they all had a little trouble getting on with each other."
Ms Bleuzen added: "Their family was well known and liked. There is a village fête every year and they always came.
"It’s incomprehensible to have shot a child. No one can understand how that could have happened."
One resident claimed the suspect and his wife "spoke to no one".
They told TF1: "They were foreigners, in Saint-Herbot, no one knew them, they spoke to no one."
Solenne's parents were also injured (jeanmarcmorandini.com)All of the Thorntons were in the garden of their property – a converted saw mill – when shots were fired at around 9pm on Saturday.
The family had lived in the property – a converted sawmill close to the local Catholic Church – for around five years.
It was Celeste who raised the alarm after seeing "all her family members shot in the head", said another investigating source.
Local resident Yannick, told Le Télégramme de Brest: "We heard the bangs and we thought it was children playing with bangers.
"Then the kid ran into a neighbour’s house saying: ‘My sister is dead, my sister is dead’."
Officers from the GIGN – the Gendarme National Intervention Group – arrived to support local police (jeanmarcmorandini.com)Officers from the GIGN – the Gendarme National Intervention Group – arrived to support local police.
"The shooter locked himself in his home after the shooting so there was a brief siege," said the source.
"After some negotiation, the suspect gave himself up without a struggle, and he was arrested, alongside his wife. He had retired to Saint-Herbot around six years ago."
Solaine was believed to be a pupil at Jean Jaurès College, in the town of Huelgoat.
The UK Foreign Office said it was aware of the shooting and is offering consulate assistance.
Quimper prosecutor Carine Halley said: "An investigation has been opened into the murder of a minor under 15, and two attempted murders."
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