Deaths of British couple in France treated as murder-suicide
French officials investigating the deaths of a British couple in their home in south-west France have said it was murder followed by suicide.
The bodies of Andrew and Dawn Searle, who previously lived in East Lothian, were found on 6 February at their home in Les Pequies, about a hour north of Toulouse.
Mrs Searle's body was found in the garden with severe wounds to her head, while her husband's body was found hanging inside.
The prosecutor in charge of the case has told the BBC there is no evidence that another person was involved in their deaths.
Mrs Searle grew up in Eyemouth in the Scottish Borders, and Mr Searle was originally from England.
They previously lived in Musselburgh and married in France in 2023.
Prosecutors said they had lived in the Aveyron region for five years.
According to his LinkedIn page, Mr Searle previously worked in financial crime prevention at companies including Standard Life and Barclays Bank.
Dawn Searle's son, the Hollyoaks actor Callum Kerr, issued a statement on social media at the time of the deaths
He said: "At this time, Callum Kerr and Amanda Kerr are grieving the loss of their mother, Dawn Searle (née Smith, Kerr) while Tom Searle and Ella Searle are mourning the loss of their father, Andrew Searle."
He requested that the family's privacy be respected during this "difficult period".
Mr Kerr, 30, walked his mother down the aisle when she married Mr Searle at a ceremony in France in 2023.
French prosecutors confirm how British couple died
Actor's grief after mum and husband die in France
Frightened looks and military vehicles in French hamlet where British couple died

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump vows to 'liberate' Los Angeles as mayor imposes curfew
The mayor of Los Angeles has imposed a night-time curfew for part of downtown as a fifth day of clashes over President Donald Trump's immigration raids erupted in America's second-biggest city. Karen Bass said she was declaring an emergency as businesses were being vandalised and looted. Nearly 200 people were arrested in the city on Tuesday. Trump defended his decision to deploy 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to LA, vowing to "liberate" the city and prevent it being "conquered by a foreign enemy". The immigration raids that triggered the protests last Friday are continuing with National Guard troops now protecting border control agents on enforcement operations. Chaotic protests also sprung up on Tuesday night in cities around the country, from Seattle to Chicago: Texas Governor Greg Abbott sent National Guard troops to San Antonio, where immigration rallies are being planned In Atlanta, Georgia, riot police used tear gas on protesters who fired fireworks towards officers at a demonstration attended by hundreds NYPD told the BBC "multiple" arrests were made after some protesters failed to disperse after several thousand marched into lower Manhattan LA's mayor told reporters earlier: "I have declared a local emergency and issued a curfew for downtown Los Angeles to stop the vandalism, to stop the looting." The order affects one-square-mile of LA where the protests have been concentrated and will be in effect beginning on Tuesday night from 20:00 PST (04:00 GMT) until Wednesday morning at 06:00 PST. Live updates from the protests Los Angeles police responding to the protests made 197 arrests on Tuesday, up from 114 on Monday, 40 on Sunday and 27 on Saturday, Bass told Tuesday's press conference. The mayor said 23 businesses had been looted on Monday night, though she did not provide an estimate of financial losses to the city from all the at-times violent disorder. "We reached a tipping point," she said of her decision to impose a curfew. The unrest has been restricted to pockets of the sprawling city. For much of Los Angeles it was a normal Tuesday as tens of thousands of children went to school, commuter traffic choked the streets and tourists strolled Hollywood Boulevard. LA police chief Jim McDonnell said the curfew was "not about silencing voices", but was a necessary measure to save lives and safeguard property. Bass also said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had provoked the unrest by conducting raids on Latino areas in the city in recent days. "If [the raids are] going to go on for 30 days, and that's what the rumour is, and, if we want to see our city peaceful again, I will call upon the administration one more time to end the raids," she said. On Tuesday, National Guard troops, who were previously guarding federal buildings, began assisting ICE agents with their "daily enforcement operations", a spokesperson for the agency told the BBC. Marines were guarding federal officials and property on Tuesday, Marines Corps General Eric Smith said. They do not have arrest authority. Everything we know about the demonstrations Trump's deportation drive is perfect storm in city of immigrants Could Trump invoke the Insurrection Act? The military deployment to the LA area will cost $134m (£99m), the Pentagon said. Addressing troops at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Trump described the protests as a "full-blown assault on peace and public order". The Republican president said he plans to use "every asset at our disposal to quell the violence and restore order right away". In televised remarks on Tuesday night, California's Governor Gavin Newsom hit back at Trump's unusual deployment of the military for a domestic law-enforcement matter. "This brazen abuse of power by a sitting president inflamed a combustible situation, putting our people, our officers, and even our National Guard, at risk," he says. Earlier in the day a federal court denied an emergency request from California to block the use of troops sent to Los Angeles. District Judge Charles Breyer scheduled a hearing on the motion for Thursday.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Riot police respond to second night of violence in Ballymena
Police came under attack as violent disorder erupted for a second night in a row in Northern Ireland on Tuesday. Multiple cars and properties were set on fire in Ballymena while rioters hurled petrol bombs, fireworks and masonry at police officers. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) deployed riot police, fired plastic baton rounds, and used water cannons as well as dog units as part of its response to the disorder. It came after similar violent disorder around Clonavon Terrace in the town on Monday night, following an earlier peaceful protest in the day which was organised in support of the family of a girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in the area. The Prime Minister's official spokesman described those events – which saw police and ethnic minorities targeted – as 'very concerning'. A senior police officer condemned the disorder as 'racist thuggery'. Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson issued a public appeal for information and said the PSNI was actively working to identify those responsible for the 'racially motivated disorder in Ballymena and bring them to justice'. He said the service would deploy significant resources to any further disorder during the week. On Tuesday evening, riot police were deployed to residential streets around Clonavon Terrace on Tuesday as hundreds of people gathered in the area from approximately 7pm. The PSNI formed barricades while officers wearing armour and shields also responded to the disorder. Some masked protesters shouted abuse and threw objects at the police, including fireworks, glass bottles and pieces of metal. The PSNI advised those present to disperse and warned that water cannon would be deployed against those participating in violent activity. Police fired plastic baton rounds at some of those gathered and also used water cannons to disperse the crowd. Many young children were present among those gathered near police lines. As rioters were dispersed into other parts of the town as the evening progressed into night, a property on Bridge Street and a home on Queen Street were set on fire. Other properties had windows smashed as some residents chose to display signs about the nationalities of those normally resident, including one saying 'British household' and another with 'Filipino lives here'. Multiple cars were also set on fire as part of blazes set by rioters, including near a car wash and tyre centre off Bridge Street and on Larne Street. The clothing of at least one participant caught fire during the disorder. The PSNI cleared streets and allowed gaps in its barricades for firefighters to tackle fires in the town as chaotic scenes continued past midnight. Officers also used a drone as part of the response to illegal activity, which saw some rioters kick in doors and ransack homes. The Northern Ireland Secretary has said there is 'no justification' for attacks on police officers or vandalism. The terrible scenes of civil disorder we have witnessed in Ballymena again this evening have no place in Northern Ireland. There is absolutely no justification for attacks on PSNI officers or for vandalism directed at people's homes or property. — Hilary Benn (@hilarybennmp) June 10, 2025 In a social media post, Hilary Benn said: 'The terrible scenes of civil disorder we have witnessed in Ballymena again this evening have no place in Northern Ireland. 'There is absolutely no justification for attacks on PSNI officers or for vandalism directed at people's homes or property.' During Monday's disorder, 15 police officers were injured and several PSNI vehicles were damaged. In Clonavon Terrace, several houses had their windows smashed and two which suffered significant smoke damage remained sealed off on Tuesday. A 29-year-old man was charged with riotous behaviour after being arrested on Monday night. Mr Henderson said other arrests are expected following the examination of video footage. The earlier peaceful protest formed in support of the family of the girl. Two 14-year-old boys appeared in court on Monday charged with attempted rape. The charges were read to the teenagers by a Romanian interpreter. On Tuesday, the PSNI said it had made a third arrest in connection with the incident and reiterated a public appeal for information. Detective Inspector Olphert from the PSNI's public protection branch said: 'A 28-year-old man was arrested yesterday evening, Monday June 9. 'He has been unconditionally released from police custody following questioning.' At a press conference on Tuesday, Mr Henderson said the attacks should be 'loudly condemned by all right-thinking people'. 'Any attempt to justify or explain it as something else is misplaced,' he said at a press conference at Ballymena police station earlier on Tuesday. He said members of the minority ethnic community 'felt fear' and there will be a significant policing operation in the town in the coming days to reassure the community. Mr Henderson said that police officers from England and Wales will be brought to Northern Ireland if needed to help the PSNI in the wake of the Ballymena disorder. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'The disorder we saw in Ballymena is very concerning. 'Obviously, the reports of sexual assault in the area are extremely distressing, but there is no justification for attacks on police officers while they continue to protect local communities. 'PSNI and the justice system must be allowed to carry out their jobs and our thoughts are with the victims of the assault as well as the police officers who were injured.'
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
The police must do better, not more
Writing in The Telegraph on Monday, two prominent officers lamented the current state of policing in Britain. Nick Smart, president of the Police Superintendents' Association, and Tiff Lynch, chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said morale had been crushed by a broken system. 'The service is in crisis,' they wrote. Pay was too low, work was too hard and the police are facing further real terms cuts in spending when the Chancellor makes her dispositions known today. Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, was reportedly battling with the Treasury until the 11th hour trying to get more money for policing but failed. She has been under pressure from senior officers for weeks to get a better deal. They said there may have been more money and more officers but these trends had not kept pace with the rise in the population. Yet overall per-capita police numbers are now close to record levels. We used to have far fewer police officers and yet they were far more visible. Their presence on the streets was designed to fulfil Robert Peel's first principle of policing, which is to keep order and prevent crime. Police chiefs maintain that they direct scarce resources where they are most needed and yet this is impossible to square with stories of half a dozen officers being sent to arrest someone for sending an injudicious tweet to a school website. A news report just this week is emblematic of the problem: the couple who went to reclaim their own stolen car because the police refused to do anything about it. There have been many cases of bikes put up for sale by thieves and owners having to recover their property because the police were not interested. Our politicians must share the blame for loading the police with tasks they never used to have by passing laws that require any complaint of hurt feelings, however minor or vindictively made, to be investigated. But the police seem content to prioritise these non-crimes over real ones like burglary, thefts of mobile phones or shoplifting. The problem the police have when demanding more money is that the public no longer feels they make the right choices with the resources they have. Nowadays, they are less a force for law and order than a glorified community service, expected to deal with society's ills rather than crime. As a matter of urgency, they need to forge a new social contract with the people they serve. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.