Dutchman accused of murdering Brit girl, 11, for being 'too loud' dies in prison

Dirk Raats allegedly opened occurrence connected a British household amid complaints that they were creating excessively overmuch sound portion pruning and clearing undergrowth astatine their property

A Dutchman who was charged with sidesplitting an 11-year-old British girl aft complaining astir sound has died successful prison, according to his lawyer.

Dirk Raats allegedly changeable astatine a British family successful June past twelvemonth aft a enactment astir sound successful Plonevez-du-Faou, a colony successful Brittany. The Dutchman, successful his 70s, was accused of shooting Solaine Thornton and past her begetter Adrian, 50, successful the head.

Rachel, Solaine's mother, was injured but she and her different girl Celese, who was 8 astatine the time, managed to get away. Family person Pierre Leroy told The Daily Telegraph astir the clip of the sidesplitting that Celeste ran for her beingness and shouted "they've killed my sister, and the antheral changeable my dad."

He continued: "We went consecutive implicit determination and the miss was dormant and the parent was cradling her successful her arms and screaming." The Daily Mail reported Brest authoritative Camille Miansoni said: "Over the years, determination was heavy exasperation that led to the drama."

Miansoni said Raats and his Belgian spouse Marlene Van Hook were irritated by the "numerous jobs" Adrian had been carrying retired astatine his property. It is understood helium had been pruning and clearing undergrowth.

Both aboriginal tested affirmative for intoxicant and cannabis use. Police recovered 2 rifles wrong the home, 1 of which was a .22 Long Rifle that is believed to person been utilized successful the killings.

Raats' spouse was charged with nonaccomplishment to supply assistance to a idiosyncratic successful information and was placed nether judicial supervision, according to the Daily Mail. His lawyer, Anne Guillerme confirmed helium died successful situation but did not grow beyond this.

Solaine was killed conscionable 2 weeks earlier she and her household were owed to instrumentality to the UK for the archetypal clip since the Covid-19 pandemic. Villagers said astatine the clip that that the Thornton household would not instrumentality to their location pursuing the shooting.

The friend, who did not privation to beryllium named, said: “They person spent truthful overmuch clip moving connected that house, it is absurd idiosyncratic trying to marque their location look amended could trigger idiosyncratic to specified a grade that helium would effort and termination them and tragic they whitethorn ne'er privation to spell backmost determination again.”

Their friend, who knew the household since 2019, said: "Everybody is heartbroken, astir radical person kids, it hits location much due to the fact that kids should beryllium capable to play successful their gardens without fearfulness of getting shot.

“The parents successful the colony person been rallying circular trying to enactment retired what it is we tin bash archer him from here. It's truthful harmless here, possibly similar Britain was 40 oregon 50 years ago, you don't interest that radical popular adjacent doorway to speech to neighbours.

“Our small miss is 3 and she runs astir freely and goes to spot the neighbours, playing outdoors connected her own. The parents successful the colony person been rallying circular trying to enactment retired what it is we tin bash archer him from here."