Police criticised after girl, four, lay undiscovered in car for eight hours

French police have been criticised after it emerged four-year-old Zainab al Hilli remained undiscovered under her mother’s body until midnight — eight hours after the shooting.

Public prosecutor Eric Maillaud defended the police saying she was not seen because she had not moved.

“As soon as the first forensics began, we were able to open the vehicle, and it was at that moment we discovered the little girl, around four years old, that nobody had seen, because she hadn’t moved, completely in shock and completely frozen.”