The 67-year-old victim was Peter Fuller, a former engineer at French energy giant Total, who lived on a large property in Plaisance where he had hoped to build a golf course.

He was found stabbed to death in his home by his ex-wife and a friend in June 2009.

The investigation quickly focused on the accused Neil Ludlam, a cricket player with no prior criminal record, who had been hired three weeks before the killing as a gardener.

After fleeing to Britain, Ludlam was extradited back to France where he admitted to authorities that he had had a violent fight with his employer, but did not admit to using a knife on him.

According to his lawyer Philippe De Caunes, the argument flared when Fuller told Ludlam that he wanted to have sex with his mother and he “saw red.”