Briton, 72, shot dead ‘by tenant following row over land on his farm in France’
A BRITISH farmer living in France has died after allegedly being shot by his tenant over a land row.
David Daniels, 72, died of his injuries in his car as his wife drove him 12 miles to the nearest doctor on Tuesday.
The tenant, named locally as Pascal, 48, and his elderly father, were both helping police with their inquiries last night as a murder investigation was opened.
Locals in Edon, in the Charente region of West France where Mr Daniels had a farm, said the men had been involved in a long-running dispute over the upkeep of land. The Daniels own 320 acres of farmland, with a forest, cows and crops.
Mr Daniels had been taking out the rubbish when he was shot on Tuesday afternoon. The gunman was hiding in a tree opposite the farmhouse gates, waiting for Mr Daniels. There is CCTV outside the house, meaning the attack may have been caught on camera.
Pascal – described by locals as a keen hunter – lives with his father in a farmhouse adjoining the Daniels’ home. The men are said to have handed themselves in to the police.
Mr Daniels, a classic car enthusiast, had lived in France for 25 years. He is said to have had an active business career in the UK before he moved.
Local mayor Patrice Petit said he was well-known and well-liked for his ‘kindness, open mindedness and love of heritage’.
The Daniels also have flat in London, where they spent half their time. Edon, home to only 270 people, is in an area of France popular with British expats.
Pascal is understood to farm some of Mr Daniels’ land. He was described by villagers as a ‘calm and discreet’ man who rarely spoke to other people.
Police said the dispute related to the lease of the land, with both having a ‘different vision of what was to become of the farm’.
Police were granted an extra 24 hours, until this evening, to question the two men.
Jean-David Cavaille, state prosecutor, said the investigation had been opened as an ‘assassination, a murder with premeditation’ pending further inquiries, including the results of a postmortem examination.
Mr Daniels was pronounced dead in Dignac, where his wife had driven him, reports said.
A UK Government spokesman said: ‘Our staff are assisting the family of a British man following his death in France, and are in contact with the gendarmerie.’
‘He was well-known and well-liked’