British man accused of shooting partner in France

A British man has been detained on suspicion of murder by French police after allegedly shooting his partner.

George Goodayle, 47, is accused of killing his British partner, 49-year-old Jayne Nicholson, at their home near Brillac in south-west France.

Nicholson was discovered with two bullet wounds on her upper body, the French authorities said, adding that a gun had been found at the scene.

Goodayle, who handed himself in, has claimed the shooting was accidental, the police said, adding that neither suspect nor victim had any prior record with the police services in France.

The couple had been together since June 2025, according to the French police.

Goodayle appeared in court on Wednesday. He was formally placed under investigation and will be held in detention until his trial, French prosecutor Benoît Bernard told the BBC.

No complaints or reports of domestic violence relating to the couple had previously been brought to the attention of investigators, the authorities said.

Nicholson had lived in Doncaster in South Yorkshire before she left to live in France, according to local newspaper the Doncaster Free Press.

It describes her as a "dog breeder and horse lover" who ran Croft Farm, a boarding kennels in the village of Thorpe in Balne.

Goodayle, from Peterborough in England, had lived in Brillac since 2016, according to French police.

Facebook posts suggest that in the UK Goodayle had worked as a dancer for Dreamboys, a male strip show.

In one post dated from 2013, he is described as "Gorgeous George".

A representative for Dreamboys told the BBC: "He hasn't worked for us for 15 years, in which time the ownership of the business has changed. Nobody knows who he is."

A UK Foreign Office spokesperson said: "We are supporting the family of a British woman who has died in France and we are in contact with the local authorities."

21 March: This story was updated to include a statement from Dreamboys and the UK Foreign Office.