British woman shot dead in France, partner confesses
The man says he accidentally shot her with a hunting rifle at their home in Charente
George Goodayle was taken into custody on suspicion of spousal murder. He is pictured here with Jayne Nicholson whose body was found at the couple's home
Screen capture from Facebook
A British man living in Charente has handed himself in to gendarmes, telling them he accidentally shot his partner dead with a hunting rifle.
The couple were identified in local press reports as George Goodayle, 47, and Jayne Nicholson, 49.
Mr Goodayle was taken into custody on suspicion of spousal murder, Angoulême’s Public Prosecutor’s office said in a statement on Wednesday seen by The Connexion.
It confirmed it had opened a criminal investigation into the murder of a spouse using a firearm.
Mr Goodayle appeared before a judge on Wednesday, March 18, where he was indicted for the murder of a spouse and placed in pre-trial detention.
The shooting happened at the couple’s home on the outskirts of Brillac, north-west of Limoges, a small village of some 600 people.
Gendarmes went to the property and found “a lifeless body” according to the Public Prosecutor’s statement.
A magistrate from the Angoulême prosecutor’s office attended the scene, along with a medical examiner from the Poitiers Institute of Forensic Medicine.
Initial findings of the investigation confirmed the victim was a 49-year-old British woman, who had been in a relationship with the man since June 2025.
“The on-site examination by the forensic pathologist confirmed the presence of two ballistic wounds in the victim’s upper body,” the statement said.
A hunting rifle was seized at the couple’s home.
Mr Goodayle turned himself into Confolens gendarmerie on Monday, March 16 and said he had killed his partner the evening before, on Sunday, March 15.
During questioning, he stated the shooting was accidental.
The man owns a construction company in the UK, local media outlets report.
The victim’s body will now undergo an autopsy at the Poitiers Forensic Institute.
The couple were not known to police and there were no prior reports of domestic violence.
