British woman shot dead by partner on boar hunt
A BrITISH expat in France has been accidentally blasted to death by her partner during a wild boar hunt.
Jacqueline Taylor, 67, died on Sunday from a gunshot wound ‘above the heart’ caused by Pierrot Philippot, 69, who now faces a manslaughter charge.
He was reportedly carrying a rifle over his shoulder on a strap, with the barrel pointing behind him, when it fired by accident and hit his companion, who suffered fatal injuries.
The local mayor Laurent Le Faucheur said that the safety catch was not on and described Miss Taylor’s death, which happened at around 11am, as a ‘dumb and stupid’ accident. The trag
‘This was a dumb and stupid accident’
edy struck when the hunting party of around a dozen people were walking through a corn field in the Goudelin area of Brittany.
Miss Taylor was rushed to hospital but was pronounced dead at 12.20pm.
Mr Philippot is president of the Goudelin-Bringolo hunt and organised the shoot close to the home they shared.
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. Tests for alcohol and drugs were negative, and an autopsy is due to take place tomorrow.
Mr Le Faucheur, the Mayor of Goudelin, said Mr Philippot was ‘absolutely devastated’, adding: ‘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. She had a horse, and they both shared other animals including dogs and cats. A full investigation is under way.’
Mr Le Faucheur described Miss Taylor as a ‘jovial, kind and smiley person’. He said everyone had been affected by the tragedy and Mr Philippot ‘will have to live with this ill-fated act’. He told the Daily Telegraph: ‘This was a dumb and stupid accident that led to a fatality. The weapon had not been handled correctly and shouldn’t have been pointing behind him without a security catch.’
Despite the tragedy, the mayor said that hunting would continue in the area. It comes amid an ongoing bitter debate about the pursuit in France, following a number of accidental deaths and woundings. In February, a 25-yearold woman died instantly after being hit by a hunter’s bullet while walking with a friend near Aurillac, in the Cantal region.
Eight people died in hunting accidents in the country last year, with two of them having no connection to the hunt, and 90 people were injured.