Rock star charged over actress' death

Mr Cantat has already appeared in court for a custody hearing

The rock star boyfriend of French actress Marie Trintignant has been charged in connection with her death.

Bertrand Cantat has been held by police in Lithuania since 27 July, when Ms Trintignant was admitted to hospital in a coma suffering head injuries, on suspicion of beating her following a row.

Mr Cantat, lead singer with Noir Desir, has now been charged by the prosecution office in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.

Ms Trintignant was pronounced dead on 1 August after spending five days in a coma, which an autopsy showed was caused by severe blows to the head.

The Lithuanian authorities are now expected to ask a court to extend Mr Cantat's custody.

Prosecutors have refused requests from both the family of Ms Trintignant and Mr Cantat's lawyers to extradite him back to France, because Paris and Vilnius have no extradition agreement

Marie Trintignant had been filming in Lithuania

Mr Cantat has already denied killing Ms Trintignant, saying it had been a tragic "accident"

Funeral

Ms Trintignant had been in Lithuania filming a television movie with her director mother Nadine Trintignant.

She had been staying a hotel with Mr Cantat and her 17-year-old son Roman.

She was admitted to hospital where she remained for several days before being flown back to her native France, where she was kept alive on a life-support machine.

Doctors performed two operations on her brain but were never hopeful of her chances of survival.

Her funeral was held on Wednesday when hundreds of mourners turned out at the renowned Pere Lachaise cemetary in Paris.

Former Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, British actress Jane Birkin and French star Catherine Deneuve attended alongside the actress' family.

Ms Trintignant was one of France's most popular home-grown film stars, notching up five acting nominations for the Cesars - France's main film awards - over 10 years.