Brit woman accidentally shot dead by French hunter boyfriend who was ‘holding rifle backwards over his shoulder’ | The Sun
A BRITISH woman living in rural France was accidentally shot dead by her boyfriend holding a rifle over his shoulder, investigators say.
Jacqueline Taylor, 67, died on Sunday from a gunshot wound “above the heart” caused by Pierrrot Philippot, 69, who now faces a manslaughter charge.
He is the president of the Goudelin-Bringolo hunt and organised the shoot close to the home they shared in the Brittany region of north-west France.
An investigating source said: “The hunters were walking through a field of corn silage when the president of the hunt fired with his shoulder-mounted rifle, barrel pointing towards the back.
“The shot hit his partner, and the bullet caused a penetrating wound above her heart. She was rushed to hospital but died of her wounds.”
Mr Philippot, who has been hunting in the area since he was a teenager, has been bailed while an investigation continues.
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Tests for alcohol and drugs proved negative, and an autopsy is due to take place on Wednesday.
Ms Taylor, who has a sister in the UK, this month won a municipal gardening prize, and her photograph appeared in Ouest-France, the couple’s local paper.
She was not carrying a gun during the hunt on Sunday morning, and was solely accompanying her boyfriend.
Laurent Le Faucheur, the Mayor of Goudelin, confirmed that Mr Philippot was “absolutely devastated by the accident”.
“It's a terrible shock for us all. I knew the couple well. Jacqueline arrived from Britain about seven years ago, and was very happy in the village,” he said.
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“She had a horse, and they both shared other animals including dogs and cats.
“What happened is devastating. I was called quickly, I came right away, because of course, a hunting accident is a sensitive subject. A full investigation is underway.”
There is an ongoing bitter debate about hunting in France, following a number of accidental deaths and woundings.
In February, a 25-year-old woman died instantly after being hit by a hunter’s bullet while walking with a friend along a marked trail near Aurillac, in the Cantal region.
France has seen a fierce debate about imposing stricter regulations on hunters.
Earlier this year a 25-year-old woman walking on a forest trail was accidentally shot dead by a teenage hunter.
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A French hunter who accidentally shot and killed a British mountain biker in the Alps was jailed in 2020.
Lucas Clerc, 24, mistook Marc Sutton, 34, for a wild boar when he opened fire with a rifle just 150 metres from a residential area.
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