Misdirected text started teen's contact with her murderer

A 16-year-old French girl was kidnapped, raped and then murdered by a jilted boyfriend she met after accidentally sending a text message to his mobile phone.

The man, 43-year-old Bruno Noye, turned a sawn-off shotgun on himself after shooting the girl at close range, said prosecutor Jean-Luc Beck. Noye died of his wounds at a hospital.

Police said that Noye was angered by the girl’s attempt to end their relationship and drove to her home in western France with the intention of killing her.

A note detailing the plan, dated September, was found in Noye’s home, Beck said.

Noye set out on Friday night from in the Normandy town of Dieppe and reached the western coastal village of Jard-sur-Mer, where the teenager lived with her mother. The girl was identified as Aurelie.

After gagging and tying up the mother, Noye raped Aurelie. The teenager was able to run outside and scream for help but her attacker told passers-by he was her father. He forced the teen into his car and drove off.

Concerned residents phoned for help and police tracked down the vehicle. But as officers approached, the man fired on his victim and then himself, said Beck.

Noye is believed to have raped a 19-year-old woman who worked in a bakery in Dieppe on Friday night, before setting out on his deadly mission.

Aurelie met Noye over the summer after mistakenly sending him a text message intended for a friend. He replied, and the two exchanged several messages before meeting.

They held a summer job together for two weeks at an equestrian centre near her home. Aurelie then ended their relationship. Her mother filed a complaint against Noye for telephone harassment in August.

“She broke it off and met new people,” said Beck, adding that Noye refused to accept the break-up.