13 January 2023 , 13:20
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A French hunter who shot dead a Brit after mistaking him for a wild boar has avoided jail.
Morgan Keane, 25, was shot by Julien Feral in December 2020 in the south-western France while he was chopping wood on his land.
The case verdict followed the French government tightening regulations to prevent such accidents - but it disappointed relatives and friends who had called for a stiffer penalty.
Feral received a two-year suspended prison sentence and was banned for hunting for life after the involuntary homicide in the French town of Cahors.
The boar hunt organiser, meanwhile, was given an 18-month suspended sentence and a hunting ban for five years.
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But prosecutors in the case had demanded both men to serve at some jail time.
Wild boars in France are allowed to be shot during the hunting season (Getty Images/iStockphoto)Benoit Coussy, lawyer for Keane's brother, said: "The justice system has done its work within existing law restrictions.
"Now lawmakers have to do their work and create a specific 'hunting offence' that could allow harsher punishments.''
Peggy, a friend of Keane's who did not give her surname, said the message had been sent that if you kill someone "there are absolutely no consequences".
A protester wears a facemask reading 'hunting kills' during a march in Cajarc, south-western France, held to pay tribute to Morgan Keane (AFP via Getty Images)She added: "I know he isn't necessarily a danger to the public, but for me you have to send a message that killing someone isn't nothing."
The dead man was shot shot as he cut wood near his property in Calvignac, France, in December 2020.
She said there wasn't a day she didn't think about it and it had marked her for life.
At the opening of the trial, Feral admitted he had not 'identified the target'.
Feral told the court at the November opening of the trial he had not "Identified the target".
A friend holds a portrait of Morgan Keane as he leads a march to pay tribute to the dead man (AFP via Getty Images)The hunter, an investigation found, was not familiar with the area and was based at a poorly-chosen spot without proper safety instructions.
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Zoe Monchecourt, who leads a company pushing for updated hunting laws, said: "We're relatively happy with removing the hunting licence for life.
"On the other hand, we're not at all happy regarding the hunt organiser."
The death of Mr Keane renewed tensions between anti-hunting groups and defenders of the tradition who claim it is necessary to keep down deer and boar populations.
At busy times of the hunting season, gunshots are common i n the French countryside causing walkers to avoid forested areas for their own safety.