Solaine thornton

By Madeleine Ross. The devastated family of an year-old who was gunned down by an angry neighbour had just received their passports for a trip to the UK to visit relatives, solaine thornton. Solaine Thornton, 11, was killed by a single shot as her family enjoyed a solaine thornton last Saturday evening in the sleepy Brittany hamlet of Saint-Herbot, near Quimper.

A DERANGED neighbour who fumed for years over noise and hedge trimming allegedly shot dead a little girl and severely wounded her parents in a horrific rampage. The year-old - named by an investigating source as Dirk Raats - shot dead Solaine Thornton , 11, as she played on the swings with her sister Celeste, 8, during a family barbecue in France. Celeste managed to escape - and raised the alarm with another neighbour in the tightly knit community after the family were blasted with the Her sister died at the scene after being shot in the heart, while her dad Adrian, 52, is fighting for his life after being shot in the head. Speaking at a press conference, public prosecutor Camille Miansoni said it did not appear that the neighbour had been aiming at the girl when he fired the shot. Neighbours have revealed how Raats was a "distant" and "cocooned" recluse who only ever spoke to others in the tiny hamlet when he moaned about noise. Play equipment including swings, a slide, a seesaw, and a trampoline can be seen in a shady spot under an oak tree at the back of Thorntons' garden.

Solaine thornton

A MUM screamed as she cradled her dying daughter, 11, after she had been shot while playing on the swings with her sister. Solaine Thornton was gunned down by reclusive neighbour Dirk Raats who also shot her parents Adrian, 52, and Rachael, Raats appeared in court charged with murder and attempted murder after he opened fire on the family as they had a barbecue on Saturday. The pensioner - described as a local recluse - had been locked in a bitter feud with the family as he raged over noise and the trimming back of hedges and trees. The well-liked family were relaxing in their garden in the tiny hamlet of Saint-Herbot, France , on Saturday, when Raats opened fire with a rifle. Pierre Leroy, a neighbour and family friend, revealed the heartbreaking scenes as he was alerted to the attack by the screams of Solaine's sister Celeste. We went straight over there and the girl was dead and the mother was cradling her in her arms and screaming. There were no words, just screams. Celeste remains in a state of shock - but knows her sister is dead and her dad is fighting for his life. Raats spoke for the first time since the death of Solaine as he appeared in court - claiming it was a "blur". He had stormed outside with a Winchester Wearing a moustache, ponytail and described as looking like a character from the comic strip Asterix, he appeared to be in a trance as he spoke in broken French. I don't understand," he said, after judges confirmed a test showed he was "on drugs" on Saturday.

If Raats is convicted of the premeditated murder of a child, he will surely die in jail. Speaking at a press conference on Monday, public prosecutor Camille Miansoni said Raats did not mean to shot Solaine thornton.

The elderly neighbour accused of killing an year-old British girl with a rifle in France has been pictured for the first time. Dirk Raats, 71, faces spending the rest of his life behind bars after being charged with the murder of Solaine Thornton and the attempted murder of her parents in the tiny village of Saint Herbot. Prosecutors said the little girl was playing on a swing with her eight-year-old sister Celeste when Raats, allegedly under the influence of alcohol and cannabis, opened fire through a hedge on Saturday evening. Celeste was the only family member to escape unscathed. Raats is accused of barricading himself at his home following the incident, before giving himself up to police an hour later.

A man has appeared in court in France charged with shooting dead an year-old British girl who was playing in the garden of her family home. The suspect, Dirk Raats, 70, a Dutch national originally from Antwerp in Belgium, has been officially put under investigation for the murder of Solaine Thornton and the attempted murder of her parents, Adrian and Rachel Thornton. The Thornton family, who bought a former sawmill in the village in and converted it into a home, had been enjoying a barbecue. At about 10pm, a man fired several shots into the property, killing Solaine and injuring her parents. Adrian Thornton, 52, was shot in the head and was taken to hospital where his condition was described as critical. His wife was shot in the back and the head but her injuries were not life-threatening. He had complained about the noise from the chainsaw and that the felled trees had protected his property from view. Camille Miansoni, the public prosecutor at Brest, confirmed on Monday evening that the shooting had been prompted by a dispute between neighbours.

Solaine thornton

A man has been formally charged with the murder of an year-old British girl who was shot dead in Brittany , France on Saturday evening. Dirk Raats, 71, spoke briefly on Monday evening as he was formally charged with the murder of Solaine Thornton, 11, and the attempted murders of her parents Adrian and Rachael Thornton, 52 and 49 respectively. Solaine Thornton died after she was allegedly shot while playing on swings in the garden of her home in France. On Monday, Mr Raats was taken from a secure police station for a minute appearance before a judge at Brest Criminal Court. The court heard that Mr Raats had worked as a photographer, shepherd and career for the handicapped before retiring to France some five years ago. Mr Raats was remanded in custody following the charges, and could spend the rest of his life in prison if found guilty at trial. The Intervention Group of the National Gendarmerie tactical unit was called to the scene, and a negotiator persuaded the couple to give themselves up.

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Tory alarm at Jeremy Hunt plan to 'fund 2p national insurance cut by milking non-doms, smokers and business As widowed Mrs Rhodes told me, when we met before I left for Brittany, she could hardly wait for the visit. Celeste, who was unhurt, took refuge in a neighbour's house and is said to be in a state of shock. What IS Pippa Middleton's style secret? The younger girl ran to another neighbour's house to raise the alarm and is now said to be in shock. Pictures show his property - a former schoolhouse - looming over the large garden around the family's ex-sawmill house close to the local church. How can a year-old man shoot a little girl? While his wife worked in social services and his two children attended local schools, Adrian, a mechanic, spent a lot of time working on his plot of land. More Topics See more More Topics. Raats was a keen amateur photographer, and the portfolio he has posted on Flickr, a picture-hosting website, hint at the complexities of his personality.

News World. Dirk Raats, 71, spoke briefly on Monday evening as he was formally charged with the murder of Solaine Thornton, 11, and the attempted murders of Adrian and Rachael Thornton, 52 and 49 respectively.

He told a press conference held in Brest on Monday evening that the crimes were linked to "an old neighbour dispute". The girls' grandfather Irvin Thornton said the police arrived at his house in Oldham, Lancs , on Sunday night to break the devastating news of Solaine's death. Marlene was said to be a "pleasant neighbour" who "said hello to people", but her husband was gruff and withdrawn. The incident took place in Saint-Herbot, a small village near Quimper pictured is a chapel in the village. It might also explain why, according to villagers, he would go on long trips in his Land Rover, and why an elderly retired couple would wish to live in a property big enough for a dozen families. Solaine received a catastrophic bullet wound to the heart while her father, who is now in a coma, was shot in the head police officer on the scene. Want an ad-free experience? Speaking at a press conference, public prosecutor Camille Miansoni said it did not appear that the neighbour had been aiming at the girl when he fired the shot. But the town hall was unaware of them. She worked for an insurance firm but also earned extra money as a packer in a mill. Never-before-seen photos of Sarah Everard that show her beaming at a university graduation and relaxing by a Police forensics at the crime scene after year-old Solaine Thornton from a British family was shot dead while playing on a swing in her garden. I wish I or the police had been told, and this might have been avoided," he said. Tensions clearly reached boiling point.