Frenchman gets 25 years for murdering British neighour dumped in well

A Frenchman was on Thursday sentenced to 25 years in jail for murdering his British neighbour and dumping his body in a well.

Emmanuel Tenret, 31, claimed in court that "hunger" drove him to kill David King, a 71-year-old former car mechanic who loved to grow and cook his own food at his retirement home in western Normandy.

"I was in need at that point. I lost my senses. I saw the freezer through the window. I broke in. Unfortunately he (King) came earlier than expected," Tenret said.

King's daughter, Sandra Ray, who lives in Australia, told the court in Caen that her frugal father lived for his garden.

"His passion was the garden, he liked to make jam, cheese and cakes and give them to his friends," she said.

The court also heard that King was likely killed with either a chisel or pickaxe and that Tenret returned to the house for several weeks after the murder to take food or have a shower.

King was reported missing in November 2014. His body was found at the bottom of Tenret's well in April 2015.