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11-year-old girl from Oldham shot dead in France

An 11-year old girl, whose family were originally from Oldham, was shot dead outside her home in western France after a 'long-running dispute' between neighbours, prosecutors said.

Solaine Thornton was killed while playing in the garden on Saturday evening, after a neighbour fired several shots at the family.

Solaine's father Adrian Thornton is in a critical condition, while her mother Rachael suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Her eight-year-old sister, Celeste, was not injured however she was hospitalised in a state of shock.

The victims' neighbour has been identified as a 71-year-old Dutch pensioner, Dirk Raats.

The local prosecutor has said the motive was not immediately clear but that the two families had been embroiled in a long-running row over a plot of land beside their properties.

 

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