British pensioner, 85, ‘beaten to death’ in rural France as suspects flee in his stolen car

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today.

A British pensioner has been found dead in his remote home in southwestern France after a violent attack.

The 85-year-old, named as John A, was found in the small village of Verlus in the Gers region in the early hours of Saturday. Two men were seen fleeing his isolated property after stealing his car, investigators have said.

Authorities believe blows to the face were the likely the cause of death although an autopsy is yet to confirm this, the deputy prosecutor’s office in the Auch commune told French outlet La Depeche.

A murder investigation has been opened and authorities have taken one man into custody, The Telegraph reports.

John A had been living alone in his home on the Peyron hillside while his wife is in hospital. Neighbours have paid tribute to a “good man” who “lived a quiet life and enjoyed cycling”.

Mayor Jean Menvielle told La Depeche that he was “someone very discreet who was rarely seen in the town”, adding of he and his wife: "They were unassuming people who lived their lives without getting too involved with the community.”

The motive of the attack remains unclear, with the deputy prosecutor telling La Depeche that they "don't know if they came to steal or if there was another reason; all of this is currently under investigation”.

Police officers in Mont-de-Marsan were first alerted to the incident when they came across a Kia being driven dangerously at around 2:30am on Saturday. The driver failed to comply with police orders to stop, and the vehicle’s occupants fled on foot, Le Parisien reported.

The police officers, after discovering the name of the vehicle’s owner, went to check his home in Verlus where they discovered John A’s body.

The prosecutor’s office said it was working to identify those responsible as quickly as possible.

“We have questions. If he was brutally murdered, it's frightening,” one local resident told Le Parisien. The case has been assigned to the Toulouse Research Section, a judicial police unit of the French National Gendarmerie.

Mayor Menvielle told The Telegraph: “If they hadn’t been up to no good with the car, given that he was a man who lived alone and never saw anyone, his death could have gone unnoticed a long time.

“We reckon it must have happened on Friday afternoon or in the evening. But the investigators are telling me as little as possible.

“I’m inundated by calls: why him and why here? I hope it’s a completely exceptional case.”

The Independent has contacted the Auch prosecutor’s office, mayor’s office, and French Gendarmerie for comment.