Latest news with #Dordogne
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Daily Mail
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
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.
The Independent
16-05-2025
- The Independent
Exploring France's Golden Triangle: The historic castle-studded valley with scenic drives and quaint villages
It is a sunny mid-spring Monday morning as I look out from the crenellated battlements of Château de Castelnaud. Beneath me, the Dordogne river, still full of the downpours of the last few weeks, languidly divides the valley. As the morning mist dissipates, I see Château de Beynac appear; its ochre limestone walls and turrets bathed in the golden glow of the early morning sun. Almost a reflection of each other – one English and one French – it's hard to imagine these two chateaux as bitter rivals, and yet that is exactly what they became during the 100 Years' War. I'm in the Dordogne and Périgord region, specifically the Périgord Noir (the Périgord is further split into Vert, Pourpre and Blanc) to explore what's known as the 'Golden Triangle', an area shaped by the River Vézere in the north, the Dordogne to the south, and the border with the Lot region in the east. It is unparalleled in France for its concentration of historical monuments, with four of its seven communes classified as 'Les Beaux Villages de France' (most beautiful villages in France). My first stop is Castelnaud La Chappelle, classified as one of the most beautiful villages of France. The town sits in the shadow of the grand Château de Castelnaud, which stands sentinel on a valley's edge overlooking the Dordogne. This is a château with a fervently violent history. Changing hands several times in its history, it was eventually burned to the ground. The few remaining scorched stones provide the foundations for its reconstruction, which led to its involvement in the 100 Years' War. Its English supporting Lord, Magne de Castelnaud, faced off across the valley with the French crown, supporting Barons of Beynac, and the Château Beynac. Throughout the 100 Years' War (a misnomer, having only lasted from 1337 to 1453,116 years), Château de Castelnaud was fought over, lost and reconquered until it finally fell to the French crown in 1442. Unsurprisingly, this bastion of medieval warfare has an engaging focus on weaponry. Trebuchet, mangonels, and ballista still mount the battlements and, inside, an impressive collection of crossbows, medieval armour and weaponry showcases humanity's dark obsession with slaughter. With the background of the 100 Years' War and the Religious Wars, it's easy to understand how such a fertile part of France became host to the varied chateaux that define it. It is said that there are more than 1,001 castles across the region, each with its own history and family crest. Château du Commarque, located in the Beune Valley, has been inhabited since before records began. Today, it's little more than a ruin, salvaged by Count Hubert De Commarque. The count's eyes sparkle with life and mischievousness as he recounts all he's done to restore it since 1962. The results of his and other local restoration efforts are little short of miraculous. Built on top of Neolithic caves (with cave paintings still in situ), there is a Tower House, nobles' homes, a chapel and a great hall. It's easy to imagine soldiers guarding the ancient route from Montignac to the Abbey of Sarlat. Château De Fayolle is from another era. Although built on the site of a medieval keep, it is quintessentially 18th century. It's a little chilly when I arrive and am greeted by its faded elegance. The two central portals are overlooked by cartouches and are surrounded by internally shuttered tall windows, several of which are boarded up, giving us a clue to our next experience. The owner, Gregory Mangeret, explains that although the restorations are ongoing, the unrestored parts of the building have been left as they are for an 'urbex' experience. We explore untouched rooms with scattered papers, abandoned toys and still-made-up beds as our guide illuminates the way by torchlight. With shadows dancing on the walls around us, I feel like a true adventurer. Next stop is Château de Losse, where I find a mix of styles from the more crenellated 11th-century stronghold to the influence of a more refined Renaissance. The clean lines and symmetry of Château de Losse are pleasing to the eye. It became home to the daughter of the deported Emperor Ham Nghi of Annam, Vietnam. Princess Nhu May studied agriculture and is credited with importing the first tractor to France. Chateaux de Puymartin and Milandes seem more feminine and elegant with a certain Disney magic about them. Château Puymartin, again rebuilt following assaults in the 100 Years' War, is a place of mystery and legend. It is filled with frescoes and art inspired by Greek mythology and is also home supposedly to the ghost of the White Lady, whose tale relates to a dark period in the family's long history. Château des Milandes has a more modern legend attached to it. It was home to the self-exiled American singer and dancer Josephine Baker. My trip through the Château is also a trip through Baker's life as an entertainer, wife, member of the French Resistance and aristocracy, and the founder of the Rainbow Tribe of adopted children. While exploring the Château, the story guides me through Art Nouveau design alongside the medieval architecture of the building. The Châteaux of the region provide the outline of the Périgord culture, but it is the land, the villages and the cuisine that fill it in. As we move between chateaux, we drive through forested valleys, past verdant acres of vineyards, alongside farmland yellowed with fields of rapeseed. Stepping into villages and towns such as Saint-Leon-Sur-Vézere and Sarlat, I feel like I have walked into another era. Sarlat has a cleansed medieval charm with its maze of winding cobbled streets, tall buildings of honey coloured stone and its soaring Gothic cathedral. It boasts a record 65 protected sites. It is also the capital of Foie Gras. No matter how you feel about Foie Gras, you'll find it everywhere, though the region's menus are filled with incredible duck dishes too, along with the humble noix (walnut), found in everything from cakes to oil and even in liquor. As we sit with the Marchioness de Puymartin and her daughter Marie Sophie, we're treated to a duck tapas menu, which includes a duck breast starter with hazelnuts and fennel and, for dessert, a seasonal 'strawberry party', the ice cream of which is finished with a sprinkle of crispy duck skin. For a region so steeped in history, the Golden Triangle presents plenty of innovative ways to attract visitors, and I, for one, won't hesitate to return. Travel essentials How to get there To fully explore the region and enjoy the freedom of traversing the countryside, rent a car from Bergerac airport. Flights to Bergerac from many UK airports start from £52 return. Out of season, you can also fly to Bordeaux, an hour-and-a-half drive away. One night stay at an airport hotel at Stansted plus four nights parking is available for £159, based on arrival on May 29 with Holiday Extras. Where to stay Located in the heart of the Dordogne in Annesses-Et-Beaulieu, Château De Lalande has a pool and a well-regarded restaurant. Hôtel De Bouilhac is a 17th-century property that's listed in the Michelin guide, located in Montignac-Lascaux. Hôtel l'Abbaye is a honey-hued château to lay your head for the night in Saint-Cyprien-en-Périgord. When to visit The best times to visit are late spring/early summer and in autumn. During this period, the rainfall dips off and the temperature is perfect for sitting outside on those warm evenings, sipping a glass of Bergerac White. Accessibility Most chateaux have areas that are accessible, but undoubtedly, some areas won't be. Innovatively, Château du Castelnaud has a VR experience for those visitors who cannot make the full route around the castle, offering a fully immersive option. If in doubt, it's always best to check ahead.
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
James Norton reveals he regularly goes on Buddhist retreats in France as he explains how travelling South Asia aged 18 'was the making of him' after unhappy and 'angsty' school years
James Norton has revealed he goes on regular Buddhist retreats to a quiet monastery in France in a bid to stay sane amid life in the spotlight. The actor, 39, has also confessed that travelling as a young man 'was the making of him' after his confidence was ripped to shreds during unhappy student years at £57,615-a-year Ampleforth College. Appearing on the latest episode of the Travel Secrets podcast, the Happy Valley star explained: 'I go to a Buddhist retreat in the South of France and I study a lot of Buddhism. 'I go to a retreat called Plum Village, which I love. I've been for the last few years. It's in the Dordogne region and it's an amazing experience. I know the community there now and I know the abbot and it's a very special place. 'Thich Nhat Hanh set up this incredible movement - it's a very friendly, very accessible form of buddhism if you're someone like me who is interested in and knows the value in it but life just always [gets in the way]. It's buddhist-lite.' James, who also starred in TV series McMafia and Grantchester, explained how travelling has played a pivotal role in his life. He recalled: 'The most important year for me was my gap year. It was huge because I'd had a strange time at school. 'I went to one of these old, big boarding schools and I loved theatre and music and I wasn't so good at rugby and I went through puberty really late so it wasn't the most rewarding period for me. 'Ampleforth was rugby-orientated, lots of testosterone, lots of one-upmanship. It's quite competitive. I did well there, I knuckled down and worked hard, and I did later find my footing in the theatre, but it wasn't the happiest few years. 'And then when I travelled... I realise in hindsight how much I just needed to get away from everything - be on my own. It really was the making of me. I came back and felt like I'd arrived in adult life.' He went on: 'When I left school, I decided to take a year in between then and university. I really gung-ho about it. 'I did three months working multiple bar jobs - one in a golf club, one in a hotel... earned about three and a half thousand pounds, and then I just packed a bag and went on a trip for eight months around South Asia on my own - at 18. It was crazy. 'I can't quite believe how brazen I was. I went to Nepal, Tibet, India - I didn't see a single person I knew for eight months. It was mad. 'But I realise now how important that trip was for me, in so many ways: my relationship with the world and travel and myself - mostly myself.' James said that the experience allowed him to let go of his 'angsty' teen years, but admitted there were times on the trip he was left 'crying my eyes out'. He explained: 'It just gave me confidence. Teenage years are complicated for lots of people, and they were really complicated for me. I didn't have the greatest time. I really needed to shed that period in my life. It was an angsty period. 'The trip was a challenge for me because I was on my own, and I had some really confronting moments where I was crying my eyes out. 'It was pre-smartphones. I had a Nokia at the bottom of my bag, I didn't call anyone - I had a weekly internet café chat with my parents.' Reflecting on how he liked to travel these days, he said: 'I use travel now as a time to see the world and to learn. I also use it to challenge myself and spend time on my own, which isn't natural for me. 'And it's not always that easy. Some of the places I go now, when I travel on my own, are challenging and confronting in all the right ways.' James is currently one of the favourites to be the next James Bond amid the fervent speculation over who will take on the coveted role after Daniel Craig's departure. With the next instalment still years away names keep being added to the mix, from Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Theo James to Harris Dickinson and Callum Turner. James still remains a frontrunner, despite doing his best to distance himself from the rumours in recent years. The Playing Nice star previously said it was 'crazy and quite flattering' to be considered to play 007, but insisted it was 'pure speculation'. He told The Times in 2020 being in the running is: 'Crazy... It's bizarre and quite flattering to be even considered in that world, but beyond that? Pure speculation.' James added: 'I love the franchise and hope Barbara Broccoli continues to make it relevant. Going into the heart of Bond's private world, as opposed to one-liners, is already progress.' In an interview with GQ in 2021, he insisted that while having a 'Bond of colour' is important, executives should focus on 'treating the cause rather than the symptom'. The TV star said: 'That, I think, is more important. Obviously, casting a Bond of colour is important if handled in a sensitive way, but there's a bigger picture: we need to treat the cause rather than the symptom. 'There is an argument, that, rather than make Bond a person of colour, why not create a new story that is authentically representative and isn't repurposed? 'But, then, you're never going to create a franchise that will compete with the power of Bond from the off. It has to be a bit of everything, doesn't it? I realise I'm talking in platitudes.' =
Daily Mail
10-05-2025
- Daily Mail
What did Karen's killer know? Just 24 hours after the mother-of-four confided in a pal she was dead... now friends fear there was chilling motive
The night before she was murdered outside her Dordogne home, Karen Carter appeared to have much on her mind. The mother of four was in the process of walking away from her 30-year marriage and starting a new life in this idyllic corner of south-west France. Plans were already in motion. There was the sweet puppy she'd collected five days earlier, a new French bank account she'd set up and a one-bedroom cottage she was negotiating to buy and where she planned to live alone. That future, as we now know, is one the former teacher will tragically never get to live. For just 24 hours after confiding in a close friend about the dramatic new direction her life was taking, she was stabbed eight times in a frenzied late-night attack outside the 250-year-old holiday home she owned with her South African husband, Alan. Fatally injured by the savage blows, including one which penetrated her aorta, Karen was dead by the time emergency services reached her. She had just arrived home from a small wine-tasting evening at the hilltop property of Jean-François Guerrier – a local French man she had grown close to – a day after telling her friend she had asked her husband for a divorce. More, in a moment, of what prosecutors and neighbours say was a new relationship and how, after locking up his converted farmhouse and driving to join her at her home 10 minutes away, Guerrier, 74, found Karen dying in a pool of blood. Her killer, who had been lying in wait, hidden by the greenery which surrounds the property, had struck so fast and so furiously that Karen's handbag – and her traumatised cross-breed puppy, Haku – were still in her Dacia Duster car. Karen's brutal murder on the evening of Tuesday, April 29 – just two days after her 65th birthday – has sent shockwaves through Trémolat, a charming village with a population of just 600 in an area so popular with British expats that a 'Dordogne Chippy' fish-and-chip van visits every Wednesday. Given that the killer is still at large, a deep-seated unease has settled across this usually tranquil community, one which will not lift until he – or she – is caught. Who, then, might have wanted to hurt Karen, a woman described by locals this week as 'classy and charismatic', 'friendly' and 'great fun to be with'. Was she killed by a jealous love rival? Or, as some are speculating, was her death 'un meurtre commandité' – a contract killing? This week the Mail spoke to those closest to the case including Karen's best friend as well as the brother of a local woman, Marie-Laure Autefort, who was said to hold feelings for Guerrier and was briefly interviewed by police before being released. Police have spoken of the 'exceptional violence' used to kill Karen and a British woman who lives nearby told me: 'What is very obvious from her injuries is that whoever did this knew how to kill.' According to results of a preliminary autopsy, one of the eight blows Karen suffered pierced her aorta, their location demonstrating 'the desire to kill'. Inflicted by a sharp object – the weapon has not been recovered – one penetrated her liver; another her kidney and spine. Yet another almost severed her right arm. 'We are absolutely shocked at the brutality of Karen's death,' said the British woman. 'This is a gorgeous part of the world where people come to live in peace. It's terrifying to think that whoever did this is still out there.' Until the horrific events of last week, crime in Trémolat was almost unheard of. What need for door-bell cameras in a close-knit community where people don't bother to lock their cars or, often, even their front doors? At night, the streets are left in darkness, the only noises the cries of the tawny owls and foxes which hunt in the orchards and walnut groves. At the time Karen was murdered outside her home, her closest neighbour, who was watching the UEFA Champions League match between Arsenal and Paris St Germain on TV, heard nothing. 'There was no scream or cry for help. Nothing at all,' Christophe Pultier told me when we met at the entrance to Karen's driveway. Flowers have been left just a couple of metres from the vast bloodstain which still marks the spot on the gravel where she fell. 'The first I realised something was wrong was when I saw blue flashing lights outside my window not long after 10pm,' he said. 'I opened my door and went out to see what was going on. Then I heard someone saying: "Her name is Karen."' The case, not surprisingly, is the talk of the village, particularly among shocked British expats – many of whom knew Karen from Cafe Village, a community hub in Trémolat where she volunteered behind the bar with Guerrier. In a bizarre twist, a poster for cult horror film Le Boucher – The Butcher – hangs on the wall. The 1969 Claude Chabrol film, which tells the story of a serial killer stabbing women in the area, was shot in Trémolat. With no suspect in custody for Karen's murder – there is frustration at the apparent lack of progress in the case. Investigators have interviewed and released only two people: Guerrier, a retired Fujitsu executive who battled in vain to resuscitate her while waiting for emergency services and Marie-Laure Autefort, 69, a divorced mother-of-two who lived nearby and made no secret of her own love for Guerrier. Investigators say they have no reason to suspect Guerrier, who lived for several years in Camberley in Surrey while working in London. Madame Autefort, who was held in custody for 48 hours, has provided an alibi. But amid talk of a 'triangle d'amour', Sylvie Martins-Guedes the prosecutor leading the case has said investigators were focusing 'on people likely to have had something against the victim, or against the couple she had formed'. Investigators also confirmed the killing was pre-meditated. That announcement is highly unusual given that in France, investigations are usually closely guarded until any trial. Marie-Laure Autefort fled to Paris after being released by police and has not been seen at her home in Trémolat since. Adamant that his sister, a carer, could not have killed Karen even if she'd wanted to, Philippe Monribot told me: 'She's physically weak. She's even scared of the dark. Could someone like that slit a woman's throat? It's impossible. It had to be a man and I don't think it's random.' Monsieur Monribot said it was no secret his sister was in love with Guerrier and claimed that she was dazzled by the wealthy retired businessman. 'He took her to visit chateaux in the Loire and to fancy Paris restaurants. She didn't have much money and she fell for him. She definitely loved him. She'd have done anything for him. But his interest seemed to move on to Karen.' Marie-Laure was born in the village and raised her children there. Recently divorced, she was, said her brother, devastated by Karen's death. 'She liked her very much. She is in shock about what has happened. She can barely speak. She's staying away from the village because the atmosphere is so bad. She doesn't want people pointing the finger at her. They arrested her because she was an easy target having made her feelings clear for him.' The real killer said Monsieur Monribot, himself a former emergency worker, would have been drenched in blood. 'My own belief is that the killer isn't far away,' he said. Speaking to the Mail this week, however, Karen's friend and neighbour Beverley Needham, another British ex-pat, said she didn't believe there was anything romantic between Guerrier and Marie-Laure. 'As far as I'm aware, he had no interest in her, but he was gentle with her because she seemed vulnerable.' Beverley, who cooked dinner for Karen just 24 hours before her death, was also unaware of the depth of her relationship with Guerrier. She attempted to play down talk of a 'love triangle', describing widowed Guerrier rather more delicately as Karen's 'confidant'. He had helped her, she said, with the paperwork for her bank account and the purchase of the new cottage. 'If there was love, they were very discreet. She never ever told me they were lovers.' She added: 'He's a charming man who likes the company of women but not necessarily in a relationship way. He's had a lot of women friends visiting him over the years that I've seen, mainly from Belgium because he worked there at some point as well as in the US and the UK.' As for Karen, Beverley said: 'They appreciated each other's company. She never told me: "We're shacking up together" or "He's sleeping at my house."' But she admitted Karen was sensitive to gossip in the village. 'She said: "Don't say to everybody that I'm seeing Jean-Francois all the time."' Did Karen lie about their relationship because she was worried about a love rival? Or was she concerned about news reaching her husband, 65-year-old marine biologist Dr Alan Carter, who still lives at the couple's home in East London in South Africa? He said this week that 'what has come out of this investigation has confirmed a relationship I did not want to believe and that had been denied to me repeatedly by my wife'. He said he'd been left with 'a feeling of complete betrayal'. Dr Carter said he had challenged his wife, whose parents came from Lancashire and emigrated to South Africa in the 1950s, about the time she was spending with Guerrier, a man he knew well. 'I told her that the gossip was tarnishing her reputation but she batted it away and said there was nothing in it. She told our friends the same.' Dr Carter arrived in Trémolat on Tuesday. Hours after visiting the spot where his wife was killed, he told the Mail: 'It's been very difficult coming back to the village. We are still struggling with everything. I just want to focus on the investigation.' The last time he saw Karen was last month when she toured South Africa with Trémolat's over-50s women's football team. He only found out about her death when a cousin in Yorkshire saw a post on Facebook and called him in South Africa. The couple owned three French holiday homes, let and managed by Karen, and in recent years had largely lived separately although they regularly spoke on the phone. Their four adult children live in Australia, Britain and the US. Dr Carter preferred to be at their home in South Africa where he runs an environmental agency and would visit Trémolat for holidays. Karen adored the Gallic lifestyle and after buying their first house there 15 years ago after successful breast cancer treatment, spent increasing amounts of time in the Dordogne. Her husband said she 'loved the village' which nestles on the banks of the Dordogne river and has a 12th century church. Friend Beverley insists that the night before she died, Karen told her she had served her husband with divorce papers and he didn't want to sign them. Karen's neighbour Christophe Pultier said that a week or so before her murder he saw her walking into her home with Guerrier late at night. But he added: 'Whatever was going on, she didn't deserve to die like that.' Speaking at his farmhouse, Monsieur Guerrier declined to answer my questions about their relationship, saying only that 'Karen was a lovely woman'. Said by friends to be still in shock, he is caring for Haku, the puppy they collected together from a breeder recommended by one of his daughters. The simpler existence Karen hoped to embark on with that puppy – and perhaps her lover – has now been cruelly and brutally cut short by someone who is possibly still lurking behind the shuttered windows of Trémolat's Perigordian stone houses.
Daily Mail
09-05-2025
- Daily Mail
'They knew how to kill': British expat's arteries severed in a frenzied attack, rumors of a love triangle - now French police call it an 'assassination'
The night before she was murdered outside her Dordogne home, Karen Carter appeared to have much on her mind. The mother of four was in the process of walking away from her 30-year marriage and starting a new life in this idyllic corner of south-west France. Plans were already in motion. There was the sweet puppy she'd collected five days earlier, a new French bank account she'd set up and a one-bedroom cottage she was negotiating to buy and where she planned to live alone. That future, as we now know, is one the former teacher will tragically never get to live. For just 24 hours after confiding in a close friend about the dramatic new direction her life was taking, she was stabbed eight times in a frenzied late-night attack outside the 250-year-old holiday home she owned with her South African husband, Alan. Fatally injured by the savage blows, including one which penetrated her aorta, Karen was dead by the time emergency services reached her. She had just arrived home from a small wine-tasting evening at the hilltop property of Jean-François Guerrier – a local French man she had grown close to – a day after telling her friend she had asked her husband for a divorce. More, in a moment, of what prosecutors and neighbours say was a new relationship and how, after locking up his converted farmhouse and driving to join her at her home 10 minutes away, Guerrier, 74, found Karen dying in a pool of blood. Her killer, who had been lying in wait, hidden by the greenery which surrounds the property, had struck so fast and so furiously that Karen's handbag – and her traumatised cross-breed puppy, Haku – were still in her Dacia Duster car. Karen's brutal murder on the evening of Tuesday, April 29 – just two days after her 65th birthday – has sent shockwaves through Trémolat, a charming village with a population of just 600 in an area so popular with British expats that a 'Dordogne Chippy' fish-and-chip van visits every Wednesday. Given that the killer is still at large, a deep-seated unease has settled across this usually tranquil community, one which will not lift until he – or she – is caught. Who, then, might have wanted to hurt Karen, a woman described by locals this week as 'classy and charismatic', 'friendly' and 'great fun to be with'. Was she killed by a jealous love rival? Or, as some are speculating, was her death 'un meurtre commandité' – a contract killing? This week the Mail spoke to those closest to the case including Karen's best friend as well as the brother of a local woman, Marie-Laure Autefort, who was said to hold feelings for Guerrier and was briefly interviewed by police before being released. Police have spoken of the 'exceptional violence' used to kill Karen and a British woman who lives nearby told me: 'What is very obvious from her injuries is that whoever did this knew how to kill.' According to results of a preliminary autopsy, one of the eight blows Karen suffered pierced her aorta, their location demonstrating 'the desire to kill'. Inflicted by a sharp object – the weapon has not been recovered – one penetrated her liver; another her kidney and spine. Yet another almost severed her right arm. 'We are absolutely shocked at the brutality of Karen's death,' said the British woman. 'This is a gorgeous part of the world where people come to live in peace. It's terrifying to think that whoever did this is still out there.' Until the horrific events of last week, crime in Trémolat was almost unheard of. What need for door-bell cameras in a close-knit community where people don't bother to lock their cars or, often, even their front doors? At night, the streets are left in darkness, the only noises the cries of the tawny owls and foxes which hunt in the orchards and walnut groves. At the time Karen was murdered outside her home, her closest neighbour, who was watching the UEFA Champions League match between Arsenal and Paris St Germain on TV, heard nothing. 'There was no scream or cry for help. Nothing at all,' Christophe Pultier told me when we met at the entrance to Karen's driveway. Flowers have been left just a couple of metres from the vast bloodstain which still marks the spot on the gravel where she fell. 'The first I realised something was wrong was when I saw blue flashing lights outside my window not long after 10pm,' he said. 'I opened my door and went out to see what was going on. Then I heard someone saying: 'Her name is Karen.'' The case, not surprisingly, is the talk of the village, particularly among shocked British ex-pats – many of whom knew Karen from Cafe Village, a community hub in Trémolat where she volunteered behind the bar with Guerrier. In a bizarre twist, a poster for cult horror film Le Boucher – The Butcher – hangs on the wall. The 1969 Claude Chabrol film, which tells the story of a serial killer stabbing women in the area, was shot in Trémolat. With no suspect in custody for Karen's murder – there is frustration at the apparent lack of progress in the case. Investigators have interviewed and released only two people: Guerrier, a retired Fujitsu executive who battled in vain to resuscitate her while waiting for emergency services and Marie-Laure Autefort, 69, a divorced mother-of-two who lived nearby and made no secret of her own love for Guerrier. Investigators say they have no reason to suspect Guerrier, who lived for several years in Camberley in Surrey while working in London. Madame Autefort, who was held in custody for 48 hours, has provided an alibi. But amid talk of a 'triangle d'amour', Sylvie Martins-Guedes the prosecutor leading the case has said investigators were focusing 'on people likely to have had something against the victim, or against the couple she had formed'. Investigators also confirmed the killing was pre-meditated. That announcement is highly unusual given that in France, investigations are usually closely guarded until any trial. Marie-Laure Autefort fled to Paris after being released by police and has not been seen at her home in Trémolat since. Adamant that his sister, a carer, could not have killed Karen even if she'd wanted to, Philippe Monribot told me: 'She's physically weak. She's even scared of the dark. Could someone like that slit a woman's throat? It's impossible. It had to be a man and I don't think it's random.' Monsieur Monribot said it was no secret his sister was in love with Guerrier and claimed that she was dazzled by the wealthy retired businessman. 'He took her to visit chateaux in the Loire and to fancy Paris restaurants. She didn't have much money and she fell for him. She definitely loved him. She'd have done anything for him. But his interest seemed to move on to Karen.' Marie-Laure was born in the village and raised her children there. Recently divorced, she was, said her brother, devastated by Karen's death. 'She liked her very much. She is in shock about what has happened. She can barely speak. She's staying away from the village because the atmosphere is so bad. She doesn't want people pointing the finger at her. They arrested her because she was an easy target having made her feelings clear for him.' The real killer said Monsieur Monribot, himself a former emergency worker, would have been drenched in blood. 'My own belief is that the killer isn't far away,' he said. Speaking to the Mail this week, however, Karen's friend and neighbour Beverley Needham, another British ex-pat, said she didn't believe there was anything romantic between Guerrier and Marie-Laure. 'As far as I'm aware, he had no interest in her, but he was gentle with her because she seemed vulnerable.' Beverley, who cooked dinner for Karen just 24 hours before her death, was also unaware of the depth of her relationship with Guerrier. She attempted to play down talk of a 'love triangle', describing widowed Guerrier rather more delicately as Karen's 'confidant'. He had helped her, she said, with the paperwork for her bank account and the purchase of the new cottage. 'If there was love, they were very discreet. She never ever told me they were lovers.' She added: 'He's a charming man who likes the company of women but not necessarily in a relationship way. He's had a lot of women friends visiting him over the years that I've seen, mainly from Belgium because he worked there at some point as well as in the US and the UK.' As for Karen, Beverley said: 'They appreciated each other's company. She never told me: 'We're shacking up together' or 'He's sleeping at my house.' ' But she admitted Karen was sensitive to gossip in the village. 'She said: 'Don't say to everybody that I'm seeing Jean-Francois all the time.'' Did Karen lie about their relationship because she was worried about a love rival? Or was she concerned about news reaching her husband, 65-year-old marine biologist Dr Alan Carter, who still lives at the couple's home in East London in South Africa? He said this week that 'what has come out of this investigation has confirmed a relationship I did not want to believe and that had been denied to me repeatedly by my wife'. He said he'd been left with 'a feeling of complete betrayal'. Dr Carter said he had challenged his wife, whose parents came from Lancashire and emigrated to South Africa in the 1950s, about the time she was spending with Guerrier, a man he knew well. 'I told her that the gossip was tarnishing her reputation but she batted it away and said there was nothing in it. She told our friends the same.' Dr Carter arrived in Trémolat on Tuesday. Hours after visiting the spot where his wife was killed, he told the Mail: 'It's been very difficult coming back to the village. We are still struggling with everything. I just want to focus on the investigation.' The last time he saw Karen was last month when she toured South Africa with Trémolat's over-50s women's football team. He only found out about her death when a cousin in Yorkshire saw a post on Facebook and called him in South Africa. The couple owned three French holiday homes, let and managed by Karen, and in recent years had largely lived separately although they regularly spoke on the phone. Their four adult children live in Australia, Britain and the US. Dr Carter preferred to be at their home in South Africa where he runs an environmental agency and would visit Trémolat for holidays. Karen adored the Gallic lifestyle and after buying their first house there 15 years ago after successful breast cancer treatment, spent increasing amounts of time in the Dordogne. Her husband said she 'loved the village' which nestles on the banks of the Dordogne river and has a 12th century church. Friend Beverley insists that the night before she died, Karen told her she had served her husband with divorce papers and he didn't want to sign them. Karen's neighbour Christophe Pultier said that a week or so before her murder he saw her walking into her home with Guerrier late at night. But he added: 'Whatever was going on, she didn't deserve to die like that.' Speaking at his farmhouse, Monsieur Guerrier declined to answer my questions about their relationship, saying only that 'Karen was a lovely woman'. Said by friends to be still in shock, he is caring for Haku, the puppy they collected together from a breeder recommended by one of his daughters. The simpler existence Karen hoped to embark on with that puppy – and perhaps her lover – has now been cruelly and brutally cut short by someone who is possibly still lurking behind the shuttered windows of Trémolat's Perigordian stone houses.
