EXCLUSIVE The France expat dream that became a nightmare: British mother, 65, is seen dancing and smiling with her French lover in video captured just months before she was stabbed to death

Daily Mail​

01-06-2025

This is the moment a British expat stabbed to death in France was seen smiling and dancing with her secret lover in a clip filmed just five months ago.
Karen Carter throws an arm in the air to Gloria Gaynor's 'I Will Survive' as she playfully bumps hips with businessman Jean-Francois Guerrier on a packed dance-floor.
The care-free moment was recorded in December outside Café Village, a bar where Mrs Carter and Mr Guerrier worked closely together in the tranquil Dordogne hamlet of Trémolat.
The footage was taken during a live music event hosted by the café every Wednesday, in which a British couple set up a fish and chip van right outside the bar.
Mrs Carter, 65, a mother-of-four, was stabbed to death in a frenzied attack outside her converted farmhouse last Tuesday evening after returning from a wine tasting event.
Locals believe the grisly murder to be a crime of passion and police have stated they believe the suspect may have held a 'grudge' about her new relationship with Mr Guerrier, a former managing director of Fujitsu Services who found her body.
Her husband, Alan Carter, was expected to fly to France this afternoon from his home in East London, South Africa, having spoken of a 'betrayal' at his wife's dalliance with the 74-year-old.
His wife had travelled to Trémolat, some 65 miles east of Bordeaux, by herself last month and had been spending more time alone in the French countryside, where she and her husband had three rental properties.
On the night she died, Mrs Carter had enjoyed a wine-tasting event Mr Guerrier had hosted at his large, gated compound in the hills overlooking the village.
She left some time around 10pm, driving home in her Dacia Duster.
Mr Guerrier checked on her shortly afterwards and found her sprawled on her driveway by her car in a pool of blood.
She had been stabbed eight times her chest, groin, arm and leg.
Despite the best efforts of medics, she died at the scene from severe blood loss.
A post-mortem examination revealed she most likely 'tried to defend herself from a frenzied attack'.
Mr Guerrier was initially questioned but subsequently released by French authorities.
Mr Carter, 65, said he had been unaware of his wife's love affair with Mr Guerrier and said it had been a betrayal.
He told The Times that the police investigation had confirmed 'a relationship I did not want to believe, and that had been denied to me repeatedly by my wife'.
He said confirmation of the affair had left him with 'a feeling of complete betrayal'.
Mr Carter revealed he had challenged his wife about the amount of time she was spending with retired businessman, Mr Guerrier.
He said there were tensions between the pair over where they should spend their later lives since purchasing their Trémolat home in 2009.
Mrs Carter had become engrossed in village life and the pair grew more distant - spending most of their time on different continents.
She worked closely with Mr Guerrier behind the bar at Café Village pouring drinks for villagers.
Speaking to the newspaper, her husband Mr Carter added: 'It was so obvious that Jean-François had an affection for Karen, and I feel he took advantage of the time we were spending apart.
'I felt the Café Village attracted a lonely bunch of people who had nothing else to throw their lives into. I felt they were having a strong influence on Karen, and she really did not know that much about them.'
Mr Carter was last with his wife three weeks ago, when she visited South Africa with Trémolat's over-50s women's football team.
He last spoke to her on the morning of her death and only learnt about it the next afternoon from a cousin who had read a post on Café Village's Facebook page.
Mr Carter will reunite with his four children for the small funeral he is now arranging in Trémolat.
Mr Guerrier has been lying low since finding his lover's body and has been unavailable for comment.
He was, up until a month ago, the chairman of the village committee which would meet regularly at the premises. He tendered his resignation to allow someone else to takeover the role.
Speaking at his home, a female relative, who spoke with an English accent, said briefly: 'He doesn't want to say anything but he's fine.'
The holiday gîte the Carters ran, a converted farmhouse and barn called Les Chouettes - or The Owls - sleeps 16 people and is on a road popular with British expats.
It remains cordoned off by police tape with officers having searched surrounding woodland for a possible murder weapon.
A 69-year-old woman, known to Ms Carter was arrested and her property in the village searched but she too was released without charge last Friday.