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CRIME

British girl, 11, killed and father seriously hurt in shooting in France

An 11-year-old British girl was shot dead and her father seriously wounded when their Dutch neighbour in northwestern France opened fire, according to authorities.

British girl, 11, killed and father seriously hurt in shooting in France
Photo by MARTIN BUREAU / AFP

The family was in the garden of their home in the village of Saint-Herbot near Quimper in Brittany on Saturday night when their neighbour appeared with a firearm, according to the initial investigation.

At around 10pm, law enforcement officials intervened “following gunfire”, Quimper public prosecutor Carine Halley said in a statement on Sunday.

Brittany shooting: What we know so far about the victims 

The 11-year-old was found dead at the scene, while her father had sustained life-threatening injuries, according to the magistrate.

The mother’s life was not deemed to be in danger and a second child was unharmed but “in a state of shock”, prosecutor Halley said.

The shooter was identified as a 71-year-old Dutch pensioner.

While police were still trying to determine the motive for the shooting, “it would appear that there had been a dispute between the two neighbours for several years over a plot of land adjoining the two properties”, Halley added.

A police source told AFP that the neighbour had fired his rifle through a hedge before retreating to his home with his wife.

Both the neighbour and his wife have surrendered to authorities and been arrested.

The public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation on charges of voluntary manslaughter of a minor and attempted voluntary manslaughter.

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CRIME

French cinema boss on trial for sexual assault

The head of France's top cinema institution Dominique Boutonnat denied sexually assaulting his godson as he went on trial Friday in a case that has led to calls for him to step down.

French cinema boss on trial for sexual assault

The trial comes as French cinema reels from a renewed #MeToo reckoning that has seen several big names, including acting legend Gerard Depardieu, accused of sexual abuse.

READ ALSO: French actor Gérard Depardieu to be tried for sexual assault in October

Activists have denounced Boutonnat’s continued leadership of the National Centre of Cinema (CNC), whose role includes overseeing measures to curb sexual violence in the industry.

His godson accuses him of trying to masturbate him during a holiday in Greece in 2020 when he was 19.

“I looked at him to find my godfather and that’s when I saw someone completely different… It was someone using me to masturbate,” the godson, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the court.

Boutonnat responded in court that it was his godson who had initiated the situation and kissed him.

“I feel bad about leaving an ambiguous situation, but to say there was a sexual assault is false,” he told the court.

He was placed under investigation in February 2021 but still reappointed by the government as head of the CNC in July 2022.

Training to prevent abuse has in recent months become obligatory for films seeking public funding via the CNC.

The CNC told AFP that the case against Boutonnat came from “the private sphere” and had no relation to its activities.

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