A Frenchman who admits raping a 10-year-old girl is being investigated in connection with the murder of the British girl, Caroline Dickinson.

Similarities between the two crimes led French police to send a DNA profile of the suspect to Brittany for comparison with a genetic profile of Caroline's killer.

No one has yet been charged with the murder in Pleine Forgeres

Caroline was 13 when she was strangled and raped at a hostel in Pleine Forgeres in July 1996.

The possible breakthrough came when a 30-year-old man was arrested recently near Versailles.

The French magistrate, Renaud Van Ruymbeke, is now handling the case of the former stretcher bearer who has not been named.

The man admits breaking into a house on December 19 and raping a 10-year-old girl on "a sudden impulse" whilst her parents were away from home.

After spotting similarities to Caroline's murder in the attack, police took the decision to move to question the man further and check genetic tests.

Police have carried out genetic tests on local men

When the initial police investigation into the Caroline case did not lead to a suspect, genetic testing was carried out amongst all men living in the region.

This too failed to provide any fresh leads for the investigators.

The French handling of the murder case has received much criticism over the past year and a half.

The original investigating magistrate was removed from his post amid claims he had not done enough to find the killer.

Such suggestions are denied by the French authorities, who are also seeking to downplay the importance of the latest development in the on-going case.
 

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