Mystery over shooting of British biker in French Alps

annecy: French investigators are struggling to explain how a young hunter out on a shooting expedition in the French Alps ended up killing a British mountain biker at the weekend, prosectors said.

The 34-year-old Briton, who had been living in the Alps for four years, was fatally injured while out on a ride on a well-used but hard to access mountain track near the village of Montriond.

Local prosecutor Philippe Toccanier told reporters on Tuesday that the victim, Marc Sutton, was wearing bright clothes when the 22-yearold hunter discharged his weapon at around 6pm on Saturday.

“The area was open and visibility was perfect,” Toccanier added.

Sutton was struck in the chest and died of his injuries.

All of the witnesses to the death – five hunters aged between 20 and 23 and another two aged around 40 – have been interviewed by the police, but the shooter remains in hospital, where he is being treated for shock.

Hunting has been temporarily suspended in the area.

Last month, a 19-year-old hunter was sentenced to a three-year jail term, with two years suspended, after he shot and killed a man in 2015 on a wooded path near Quintal in the Alps.

Hunting is popular but controversial in France, with farmers and enthusiasts saying it is an important social pursuit in rural areas that helps control the population of animals such as wild boar or deer.

According to the national hunting and wildlife agency ONCFS, 115 people were injured in hunting accidents this year up to June 1, with around 85% being hunters themselves.