France: Belgian man accused of shooting and killing an 11-year-old British girl in France
By Ahmad Hadizat Omayoza, Mamos Nigeria
A man has showed up in court in France accused of shooting a 11-year-old British young girl who was playing in the garden of her family home.
The official investigation into the murder of Solaine Thornton and the attempted murder of her parents, Adrian and Rachel Thornton, has been opened against the suspect, 70-year-old Belgian Dirk Raats.
Her eight-year-old sister, Céleste, was the main individual from the family to get away from injury in the assault on Saturday night.
The young girls were playing on swings in their gardey in the villa of Holy person Herbot, close to Plonévez-du-Faou in Brittany, west France on Saturday night. A barbecue had been held by the Thornton family, who in 2019 purchased a village sawmill and turned it into their home. At around 10pm, a man discharged a few shots into the property, killing Solaine and harming her folks.
Adrian Thornton, 52, was shot in the head and was taken to medical clinic where his condition was portrayed as basic. His wife was shot in the head and back, but her injuries weren’t serious enough to end her life. Céleste ran away to a house nearby and sounded the alarm.
Marguerite Bleuzen, the city hall leader of Plonévaz-du-Faou, told columnists she knew about a “question between neighbors” over a land parcel bordering the two properties and over commotion that dated back three years.
Raats and his wife were described as “reclusive” by neighbors, and he was reportedly enraged that the Thorntons had cut down trees on their property. He had griped about the commotion from the trimming tool and that the felled trees had shielded his property from view.
On Monday afternoon, during a hearing that lasted approximately ten minutes at a Brest court, Raats informed the judge: It’s so terrible what’s worked out. I don’t have any idea.”
On Monday evening, Brest’s public prosecutor, Camille Miansoni, confirmed that a dispute between neighbors led to the shooting. The couple being referred to faulted their English neighbors for rehashed and progressively unbearable commotion contamination,” Miansoni told a public interview.
Adrian Thornton was “doing some gardening work on the hedge” that separated his property from the neighboring property on Saturday afternoon. This exasperated his neighbor who got a rifle and discharged three or four shots stirring things up around town, he added.
Three victims were discovered on the ground by the police who arrived at the scene. Solaine had perished. Her mother was also injured and taken to the hospital. Her father is in the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Miansoni stated that the couple’s other eight-year-old daughter, who witnessed the incident, is in shock and has been transported to a children’s hospital.
He stated that alcohol and cannabis had been detected in both the suspect and his wife.
For attempted murder and murder, Raats has been officially placed under investigation, which is the same as being charged. He has been accused of “concealing an object relating to a crime in order to obstruct the course of justice” against his Belgian wife. She supposedly taken care of the firearm before the couple gave up to police, who held onto two rifles.
The man had been remanded in custody, according to the prosecutor. Although it was evident that he had fired in the family’s direction, the question of whether he had done so intentionally will be raised by authorities.
The court heard Raats had shown up in France in 2017 and got comfortable Holy person Herbot. He had recently been a photographic artist and shepherd, prior to enduring 25 years working in particular foundation for seriously impaired individuals.
Raats should be evaluated psychologically and psychiatrically, the public prosecutor advised the court. In her defense, Anne Guillerme stated that the incident “goes deeper than a neighborhood dispute.” She said: ” His activities uncover weariness and a longing to end everything.”
The prosecutor stated that the gun used to shoot at the Thornton family has been removed. Before a police negotiator persuaded Raats and his wife to come out and hand over the weapon, they had initially put up a wall around themselves in their house.
Before moving to Saint-Herbot, the Thornton parents, originally from Oldham, had lived in France for a while. France gave birth to both of the girls.
The children and parents of Solaine’s new school, Jean-Jaurès Middle School, were said to be in shock.
