Dutch suspect who killed British girl in France had an ongoing feud with her parents

The 71-year-old Dutch man accused of killing an 11-year-old British girl in France, was involved in an ongoing feud with her family, according to Marguerite Bleuzen, the mayor of Plonevez-du-Faou, which includes Saint-Herbot, where the murder took place. The crime scene is located in the Brittany region.

The situation boiled over on Saturday evening, when the Dutch suspect, Dirk R., allegedly fired a shotgun at the family while they were having a barbecue. The girl, Solaine Thornton, was struck while she was on a swing set at about 10 p.m. Her father, Adrian Thornton, was also critically injured and was still fighting for his life on Monday.

The mother, Rachel Thornton, was also hospitalized with injuries. Solaine Thornton’s 8-year-old sister was playing on the swings when R. allegedly opened fire. One area resident told media outlets that the younger girl ran to a neighbor’s home and said, “My sister is dead, my sister is dead.” The younger girl was physically unharmed but was in shock.

The suspect was quickly arrested at his home, and a large quantity of cannabis was found at the scene. R. carried Dutch citizenship, and may have been born in Antwerp, Belgium.

Despite the feud, Bleuzen said authorities had no cause for concern. They had intervened in the past to mediate the dispute, and so no reason to think the situation would escalate. "There were neighbourhood issues, yes, a hedge, a field, but nothing more than that, not that we were aware of," local politician Regine Guillot told Reuters.

"We knew the family well. There is a village party every year and they always came,” Bleuzen said of the victims. "It is incomprehensible to have shot a child. No one can understand how that could have happened."