Share

British cyclist killed in Alps was 'a monster', mother says

London - The mother of a British cyclist killed by a hunter in the Alps has celebrated his death, saying she believed he was responsible for raping a young girl, British media reported on Wednesday.

The claims made by Katrina Toghill and the alleged victim, as reported by The Sun newspaper, were denied by the girlfriend and father of the late cyclist Marc Sutton in comments to the Daily Mail.

The alleged crime was never reported to the police, said The Sun, which also stated that Sutton had served a six-month prison sentence in the past for hitting another woman in Britain.

Toghill reportedly wrote a Facebook post saying that she hoped her son would "rot in hell" for what he had done.

"For any horrified people reading this, I'm not some vicious troll. I'm the woman who give birth to him. This man was a monster," read the post, which was quoted by British media but was not visible on Sutton's Facebook profile on Wednesday.

The 34-year-old Briton, who had been living in the French Alps for four years, was fatally injured while out on a ride on a well used but hard to access mountain track on Saturday.

Local prosecutor Philippe Toccanier told reporters that Sutton was wearing bright clothes when the 22-year-old hunter discharged his weapon.

"The area was open and visibility was perfect," he said.

Sutton was struck in the chest and died of his injuries.

Sutton's girlfriend Jo Watts, who ran a vegetarian restaurant with him called Wild Beets Kitchen in the ski resort of Les Gets, told the Daily Mail that she was "shattered" by his death.

"Now, to add to all that, I'm devastated people have chosen to make these allegations when Marc is not here to defend himself. His friends know the real Marc," she said.

The cyclist's father John Sutton said he had reported his ex-wife and the alleged victim to the police for making up the story.

"I have been to police and made a report that these allegations are all lies, completely false, and it's harassment," he told the Daily Mail.

"This is all about a family feud, it's bitterness and jealousy, and attention-seeking," he said.

 

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
42% - 350 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
58% - 483 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.92
-0.1%
Rand - Pound
23.89
-0.0%
Rand - Euro
20.44
+0.1%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.35
+0.0%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.1%
Platinum
909.30
+1.4%
Palladium
1,015.00
+1.3%
Gold
2,221.01
+1.2%
Silver
24.85
+0.8%
Brent-ruolie
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
68,346
+1.0%
All Share
74,536
+0.9%
Resource 10
57,251
+2.9%
Industrial 25
103,936
+0.6%
Financial 15
16,502
-0.1%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE