UK expat shot dead in France after argument with neighbour

A 72-YEAR-OLD British expatriate has died of gunshot wounds after a row with a neighbour in a quiet village in south-western France.

David Daniels, a retired businessman from London, was shot near his home in the village of Edon, in the Charente department, on Tuesday.

His wife drove him to a doctor’s surgery in the village of Dignac, but by the time they arrived he was dead.

Police are questioning a neighbour named as Pascal Moreau, 48, a farmer who rented land from Mr Daniels.

Patrice Petit, the mayor of Edon, said: “Mr Daniels was unhappy with the way he kept the farmland. It was very messy. He left tarpaulins, tyres, piles of hay and other materials lying around. Mr Daniels often asked him to tidy it up, but it’s crazy to think that an argument like that could lead to something like this.”

Mr Daniels had owned a stone cottage in the village since 1997. He divided his time between France and Britain until he retired three years ago, when he moved to Edon full time, although he also maintained a flat in London.

“Mr Daniels was well-known, respected and very well liked in the village,” Mr Petit told The Daily Telegraph.

“This is an absolute catastrophe for all of us here. We’ve got only 260 inhabitants and Mr Daniels took part in all our community activities. Everyone here is in a state of shock.

“Mr Daniels was vice-president of the Society for the Protection of the Heritage of Edon, and he was always friendly, always helpful. He and his wife both spoke very good French and he took an interest in everything that was going on. He was a valuable member of the community, a good friend and a remarkable man. I was often invited to dinner at his home.”

Mr Daniels, from London, owned a chain of garages in France until 1992.

After that, he was involved in a business that sold industrial kitchens around the world.

“When he bought his house it was in a bit of a state, but he completely renovated it,” Mr Petit said. “He made sure the gardens around the house were always impeccable, so it was doubly annoying for him to see the land he rented to the farmer being left in a mess.”