Jailed singer returns to France

Bertrand Cantat has dropped plans for an appeal

French rock star Bertrand Cantat, jailed in Lithuania for killing his actress girlfriend, has returned to France to serve out his sentence.

Cantat, 41, was jailed for eight years in March for causing the death of actress Marie Trintignant during a violent argument in Vilnius last year.

He arrived in Toulouse on Tuesday after being allowed to complete his sentence nearer to his family.

Cantat, singer with Noir Desir, dropped plans to appeal his sentence in June.

Hotel row

Ms Trintignant's family, who launched an appeal against the length of the sentence on the grounds that it was too short, also halted appeal proceedings.

Cantat was jailed in May after admitting having caused his girlfriend's death, but he said it was a tragic accident.

Ms Trintignant's killing and Cantat's trial gripped France, where both are well-known personalities.

During the trial, the court heard that Cantat hit Ms Trintignant four times as they rowed in the hotel in July 2003.

Ms Trintignant, the daughter of French film star Jean-Louis Trintignant, fell into a coma and died five days later from swelling of the brain.