A NEIGHBOUR accused of murdering an 11-year-old British girl after shooting at her family for being too loud has died in prison.
Dirk Raats allegedly blasted Solaine Thornton through the heart as she played on a swing in June last year.
The former teacher was said to have shot at the British family at their home after he became “exasperated” over persistent chainsaw noise.
Raats, who had not been convicted in the attack, has now died while locked up in prison, AFP reports his lawyer as saying.
He was charged with murder and attempted murder after the rampage.
The brutal shooting happened in Plonevez-du-Faou, a village in the western French region of Brittany.
Raats fired four bullets with a .22 calibre rifle, hitting Solaine’s father Adrian, 52, in the head and mum Rachael, 49, in the back and head.
Their other daughter Celeste, eight, escaped unhurt and fled to neighbour Pierre Leroy’s house.
Pierre told the Daily Telegraph: “Celeste had dodged a bullet and ran for her life up here. We went straight over.
“The mother was cradling Solaine in her arms and screaming.
“Adrian was shouting as well — injured but conscious — but the mother understood it was too late for her daughter.
“There were no words, just screams.”
In a hearing last year, public prosecutor Camille Miansoni said: “It would seem that he was not aiming at the little girl.”
At Brest criminal court, Raats said: “It’s so horrible. I don’t understand it.”
Miansoni said Raats was “exasperated” by the Thorntons, originally from Manchester, because they cut back trees and bushes on the border of their homes.
The prosecutor said the couple were irked by the “numerous jobs (the British father) was carrying out on his property” such as pruning and clearing undergrowth.
His Belgian wife Marlene van Hook, 69, was arrested over concealing the murder weapon.
Raats and and van Hook subsequently tested positive for cannabis and alcohol use.
Police found a .22 Winchester-type rifle thought to be have been used in the spree and a Winchester .30 calibre with ammunition at their home.
Raats’s lawyer, Anne Guillerme, confirmed his death in jail, and made no further comment.
Grandma Christine Rhodes previously paid tribute to Solaine, reports the Daily Mail.
She said: “Solaine was such a sweet girl. The last time I spoke to Solaine, she told me that she had been writing for her school newspaper and she was so upset.
“She was a special little girl. She loved everybody. She loved everyone. She loved her animals and didn’t have a bad bone in her body. She had lovely big eyes and skipped about.
“She was so loving. She would just come up and hug you and she would speak to me on the telephone and tell me all sort of tales about her animals.”
