Latest news with #Martins-Guedes
Telegraph
02-05-2025
- Telegraph
Pensioner held over killing of British mother in France
A 69-year-old woman has been detained over the murder of a British mother found stabbed to death outside her home in Dordogne, France. Karen Carter, 65, was found 'collapsed and unconscious' near her car in the medieval village of Trémolat, east of Bordeaux, on Tuesday night, and a murder investigation was launched. Sylvie Martins-Guedes, the Bergerac prosecutor, said: 'A woman aged 69 years old, who comes from Trémolat and is part of the couple's circle, has been detained.' Ms Martins-Guedes said Mrs Carter, a dual British-South African citizen and mother of four, had sustained several deep wounds to her chest, groin, arm and leg, which were caused by a 'sharp object'. The prosecutor said: 'The wounds revealed a singular violence and their placement showed the desire to kill.' She added: 'At this stage, no hypothesis is being favoured.' In a statement released on Thursday, Ms Martins-Guedes said that the victim was found by a male friend. She said: 'They had spent the evening together in Trémolat with friends and then returned to the victim's home,' she said, adding that Mrs Carter had gone ahead and had arrived there 10 minutes before him. The friend undertook first aid and called the emergency services, but Mrs Carter's heart stopped when they arrived and they were unable to revive her. He was questioned by police and later released without charge, Ms Martins-Guedes said. Mrs Carter and her husband, Alan, have owned their property in the village for roughly 15 years and divide their time between Trémolat and East London, South Africa. They also own and run two holiday rentals in the village. Mr Carter, who was in South Africa at the time, said he learnt of his wife's murder on Wednesday in a phone call from a cousin, who also owns a home in Trémolat, and read about it on a Facebook post. He told the BBC: 'It's terrible. Such a small village where nothing like this ever happens,' Mr Carter described his wife as a friendly person 'who wouldn't hurt a fly' and said her murder had been very 'traumatic' for the family. 'Everyone liked her,' he added. He speculated that his wife's killer was likely someone known to the couple. Mr Carter told the Times: 'It is likely to have been someone Karen knew and had an issue with her.' He last spoke to his wife on Tuesday morning and had to break the news to the couple's four children. The family will be travelling to Trémolat next week, where they are planning a small funeral before taking her ashes back to South Africa. Mrs Carter had been a member of Les Reines du Foot (The Queens of Football), the local football team for women aged over 50. A member of the team told Sud Ouest newspaper: 'Everyone is shocked. Karen was very helpful. She was the embodiment of kindness.' A statement on the team's Facebook page said: 'We are immensely saddened by the sudden death of Karen, our friend and Football Queen, who leaves a great emptiness in our hearts. Our thoughts are with her family.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Yahoo
Pensioner held over killing of British mother in France
A 69-year-old woman has been detained over the murder of a British mother found stabbed to death outside her home in Dordogne, France. Karen Carter, 65, was found 'collapsed and unconscious' near her car in the medieval village of Trémolat, east of Bordeaux, on Tuesday night, and a murder investigation was launched. Sylvie Martins-Guedes, the Bergerac prosecutor, said: 'A woman aged 69 years old, who comes from Trémolat and is part of the couple's circle, has been detained.' Ms Martins-Guedes said Mrs Carter, a dual British-South African citizen and mother of four, had sustained several deep wounds to her chest, groin, arm and leg, which were caused by a 'sharp object'. The prosecutor said: 'The wounds revealed a singular violence and their placement showed the desire to kill.' She added: 'At this stage, no hypothesis is being favoured.' In a statement released on Thursday, Ms Martins-Guedes said that the victim was found by a male friend. She said: 'They had spent the evening together in Trémolat with friends and then returned to the victim's home,' she said, adding that Mrs Carter had gone ahead and had arrived there 10 minutes before him. The friend undertook first aid and called the emergency services, but Mrs Carter's heart stopped when they arrived and they were unable to revive her. He was questioned by police and later released without charge, Ms Martins-Guedes said. Mrs Carter and her husband, Alan, have owned their property in the village for roughly 15 years and divide their time between Trémolat and East London, South Africa. They also own and run two holiday rentals in the village. Mr Carter, who was in South Africa at the time, said he learnt of his wife's murder on Wednesday in a phone call from a cousin, who also owns a home in Trémolat, and read about it on a Facebook post. He told the BBC: 'It's terrible. Such a small village where nothing like this ever happens,' Mr Carter described his wife as a friendly person 'who wouldn't hurt a fly' and said her murder had been very 'traumatic' for the family. 'Everyone liked her,' he added. He speculated that his wife's killer was likely someone known to the couple. Mr Carter told the Times: 'It is likely to have been someone Karen knew and had an issue with her.' He last spoke to his wife on Tuesday morning and had to break the news to the couple's four children. The family will be travelling to Trémolat next week, where they are planning a small funeral before taking her ashes back to South Africa. Mrs Carter had been a member of Les Reines du Foot (The Queens of Football), the local football team for women aged over 50. A member of the team told Sud Ouest newspaper: 'Everyone is shocked. Karen was very helpful. She was the embodiment of kindness.' A statement on the team's Facebook page said: 'We are immensely saddened by the sudden death of Karen, our friend and Football Queen, who leaves a great emptiness in our hearts. Our thoughts are with her family. 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.
Daily Mail
01-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Woman, 69, arrested over murder of British mother-of-four who was knifed to death outside her home in France
A woman has been arrested over the murder of a British mother-of-four who was stabbed to death outside of her home in France. Karen Carter, a 65-year-old mother of four, was found outside her property in the village of Trémolat, east of Bordeaux, after returning from a night out on Tuesday. Sylvie Martins-Guedes, the prosecutor for Bergerac said: 'A woman aged 69 years old, who comes from Trémolat and is part of the couple's circle, has been detained.' An investigating source said she was found 'covered in stab wounds', suffering multiple wounds to her chest, groin, arm, and leg. 'The wounds revealed a singular violence and their placement showed the desire to kill,' Martins-Guedes added. Alan Carter, her husband, told French media he had heard of his wife's murder on Wednesday during a phone call with his cousin who also had a holiday home in the French village. The couple had owned the property for about 15 years, the 65-year-old said, and they divided their time between South Africa and Trémolat. Carter's body was discovered by a friend, who had been out with her earlier that evening, who arrived on the scene ten minutes later and found her collapsed and unconscious. The Bergerac prosecutor, said she had been in a relationship with the friend who found her for several weeks. On the evening of her death, Carter had been out at a local café-bar with a male friend, whom prosecutors said she had been seeing. 'They had spent the evening together in Tremolat with friends and then returned to the victim's home, whom, he said, had arrived only about ten minutes before him,' Martins-Guedes said. She suffered the 'frenzied attack' after returning home, and was found by her friend, who tried to administer first aid at the scene, French media reported. Medics responded to a call at 10.17pm and arrived to find Ms Carter 'in cardio-respiratory arrest'. Despite attempts to revive her, she died at the scene. The prosecutor, confirmed that a criminal enquiry had been opened, and that local gendarmes were investigating. Husband Alan said that he was 'disturbed' by a statement from Martins-Guedes that his wife had 'started a relationship' with a man some weeks before who had been interviewed by police. French media said that the friend was questioned by police but released without charge. 'What I understand is that Karen went to a wine-tasting event on Tuesday night and was supposed to phone him to let him know that she had got back safely,' Mr Carter told The Times. He said he was speculating, but was juggling thoughts that the perpetrator could be someone he or his wife knew. Police are still trying to understand the motive, and have launched a manhunt for the unidentified killer. A murder weapon has also not been found. The prosecutor said that, pending investigation, 'no hypothesis is being favoured'. Neighbours left in 'total shock' from the tragedy paid tribute to 'a delightful, energetic person who got on with everybody'. 'Nobody can understand how this could have happened in a peaceful place like this,' one resident said. 'We are all keeping our doors locked. It is deeply worrying.' 'We saw emergency vehicles in the village, and then lots of police cars, and then the area around her house was cordoned off,' one resident said, who asked to remain anonymous 'for security reasons'. Living in the rural commune of Trémolat, Carter owned and managed two guest houses, frequently used by guests from the UK. Mr Carter told The Times that the property was a passion of his wife's and that she loved the French culture. Due to this interest, he and his children are planning to go to France to hold a small funeral before scattering her ashes in South Africa. A message written by Carter on her guest house website read: 'We would love to welcome you to visit our beautiful cottage in the Dordogne Valley, France. 'Take time out of your crazy schedule and relax into the wonderful slow lifestyle of the French community.' The property is called Les Chouettes [The Owls] and it is described as 'a lovely old renovated farmhouse and barn', sleeping 14 in total. Carter also ran a lifestyle blog for women over 50 called La Vie est Belle (Life is Beautiful) and was a member of Les Reines du Foot (The Queens of Football), a football team for women aged over 50 which in early April completed a tour of South Africa. As news emerged of her tragic death, her football team paid tribute in a post on Facebook. 'We are immensely saddened by the sudden passing of Karen, our friend and Queen of Football, who leaves a great void in our hearts. 'All our thoughts go out to her loved ones.' The victim was one of 18 football players who left for South Africa to participate in the Grandma's World Cup, after training between Calès and Trémolat. 'Everyone is in shock, it's horrible,' her distraught teammates told Francebleu. Known to play in a number 12 jersey, the British national was a substitute left midfielder during the competition in South Africa. A sign was placed on the front of the local café to inform residents that the Wednesday concert evening and Thursday quiz were cancelled 'due to death'. The Dordogne is an area of France that is hugely popular with British tourists, second home owners and expat pensioners. In February, British couple Andrew and Dawn Searle, who previously lived in East Lothian in Scotland, were found dead at their home in the south west village of Les Peques, north of Toulouse. Ms 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 since said there was no evidence that another person was involved in their deaths, and that murder-suicide was the likely cause.
Times
01-05-2025
- Times
British woman found dead from stab wounds outside Dordogne home
A British woman has been found dead from stab wounds outside her house in the Dordogne, French authorities said. Karen Carter, 65, was found 'collapsed and unconscious' near her car in the village of Trémolat on Tuesday, said Sylvie Martins-Guedes, the public prosecutor in Bergerac. The victim, who was thought to have lived in the Dordogne for several years, had 'several wounds, of which five were deep and caused by a sharp object, notably to the chest, the groin, the arm and the leg'. 'The wounds revealed a singular violence and their placement showed the desire to kill,' Martins-Guedes said. A murder inquiry has been opened and will be investigated by police from Bergerac and nearby Agen. Martins-Guedes said all lines of inquiry were open.
Telegraph
30-04-2025
- Telegraph
British woman beaten to death at home in France
A British woman has been beaten to death at her home in southwestern France. A friend found the 65-year-old woman lying injured near her vehicle on Tuesday evening, Sylvie Martins-Guedes, a state prosecutor, said on Wednesday. She had five deep wounds caused by a blunt object. Despite attempts to resuscitate her, the woman died at the scene, the prosecutor said, adding that authorities had opened a murder investigation. 'Her wounds indicated a particularly violent attack and their locations showed an intention to kill,' Ms Martins-Guedes said. 'Investigations are under way to identify and detain the perpetrator of this crime.' The woman's home is in the village of Trémolat in the Dordogne region, about 70 miles east of Bordeaux. She had lived in the Dordogne department for several years. Franceinfo reported that initial investigations found that the woman had been with a friend on the night of her death 'with whom she had been in a relationship for several weeks'. Victim was member of football team They had spent the evening together in Trémolat, but she returned home around 10 minutes before her friend, the outlet said. Upon arriving at the scene, the man called for help before administering first aid himself before emergency services arrived. 'Despite the resuscitation measures provided by first responders and emergency services, the victim died,' Ms Martins-Guedes said. The friend is not in custody, French media reported. The woman, who has not yet been named, was a member of an over-50s football team that competed in the Soccer Grannies World Cup in South Africa earlier this year, according to French news outlet France Bleu. Her teammates shared their shock at the news with the publication, saying that the 65-year-old was a generous woman who was always willing to help others.
