Neighbour accused of murdering Brit girl, 11, after ‘shooting at her family for being too loud’ dies in prison

A NEIGHBOUR accused of murdering an 11-year-old British miss aft shooting astatine her household for being excessively large has died successful prison.

Dirk Raats allegedly blasted Solaine Thornton done the bosom arsenic she played connected a plaything successful June past year.

The erstwhile teacher was said to person changeable astatine the British household astatine their location aft helium became "exasperated" implicit persistent chainsaw noise.

Raats, who had not been convicted successful the attack, has present died portion locked up successful prison, AFP reports his lawyer arsenic saying.

He was charged with execution and attempted execution aft the rampage.

The brutal shooting happened successful Plonevez-du-Faou, a colony successful the occidental French portion of Brittany.

Raats fired 4 bullets with a .22 calibre rifle, hitting Solaine’s begetter Adrian, 52, successful the caput and mum Rachael, 49, successful the backmost and head.

Their different girl Celeste, eight, escaped unhurt and fled to neighbour Pierre Leroy’s house.

Pierre told the Daily Telegraph: “Celeste had dodged a slug and ran for her beingness up here. We went consecutive over.

“The parent was cradling Solaine successful her arms and screaming.

“Adrian was shouting arsenic good — injured but conscious — but the parent understood it was excessively precocious for her daughter.

“There were nary words, conscionable screams.”

In a proceeding past year, nationalist authoritative Camille Miansoni said: “It would look that helium was not aiming astatine the small girl.”

At Brest transgression court, Raats said: “It’s truthful horrible. I don’t recognize it.”

Miansoni said Raats was “exasperated” by the Thorntons, primitively from Manchester, due to the fact that they chopped backmost trees and bushes connected the borderline of their homes.

The authoritative said the mates were irked by the "numerous jobs (the British father) was carrying retired connected his property" specified arsenic pruning and clearing undergrowth.

His Belgian wife Marlene van Hook, 69, was arrested implicit concealing the execution weapon.

Raats and and van Hook subsequently tested affirmative for cannabis and intoxicant use.

Police recovered a .22 Winchester-type firearm thought to beryllium person been utilized successful the spree and a Winchester .30 calibre with ammunition astatine their home.

Raats's lawyer, Anne Guillerme, confirmed his decease successful jail, and made nary further comment.

Grandma Christine Rhodes antecedently paid tribute to Solaine, reports the Daily Mail.

She said: "Solaine was specified a saccharine girl. The past clip I spoke to Solaine, she told maine that she had been penning for her schoolhouse paper and she was truthful upset.

"She was a peculiar small girl. She loved everybody. She loved everyone. She loved her animals and didn't person a atrocious bony successful her body. She had beauteous large eyes and skipped about.

"She was truthful loving. She would conscionable travel up and hug you and she would talk to maine connected the telephone and archer maine each benignant of tales astir her animals."