French gendarmes investigating the killing of a retired British man at his home in Brittany are mystified by the absence of any trace of the bullet which passed through the victim's neck.

Former guitarist Glenn Miller, 65, was found on Sunday morning lying in a pool of blood with gaping wounds in his neck where the bullet entered and exited, killing him instantly.

But Gendarmes called to the scene after a neighbour found Mr Miller slumped in a corner of his dining room found no gun, bullet or cartridge and no evidence of an impact on furniture or the inside walls.

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Former guitarist Glenn Miller, 65, was found on Sunday morning lying in a pool of blood with gaping wounds in his neck where the bullet entered and exited, killing him instantly

A source close to the investigation said yesterday: 'What the Gendarmes and the investigators cannot understand is why there was absolutely no trace of the projectile which killed Mr Miller.

'The prosecutor announced that the cause of death was murder but there is no sign of any weapon or any sign of a bullet which was fired through the victim's neck.

'It caused a gaping wound and would have impacted or ricocheted within the murder room.

'There would have been marks on furniture or on the walls caused by a bullet fired from a gun powerful enough to cause the terrible wounds.

'The possibility that he was killed elsewhere has been ruled out given the huge amount of blood under and around the poor man's body.'

Mr Miller lived alone in a restored granite farmhouse at the hamlet of Traon Bras near the small village of Plounevez- Lochrist, only a few miles from the Channel coast in northwest Brittany.

Yesterday French forensic officers were again studying macabre footsteps in dried blood found in the dining room where the crime took place.

They are convinced that the shoes or boots that left the prints were worn by the killer. The victim was wearing slippers at the time of his death and the neighbour who discovered the body left no traces as the blood in the room had dried.

Investigators believe that Mr Miller was shot dead by an intruder who may have been intent on robbing the retired expat, although there were no signs of a struggle, according to prosecutor Eric Mathais.

The visiting neighbour called police to the austere granite farmhouse at the hamlet of Traon Bras near the small village of Plounevez- Lochrist, only a few miles from the Channel coast in northwest Brittany

There was also no sign a of a break and at the time of the discovery the door of the house was open, he said. He revealed that the victim lived alone in the house in a state of extreme untidiness.

A neighbour reportedly heard shouting coming from the murder house at 11pm on Saturday night.

Villagers in Plounevez-Lochrist described Glenn Miller as a likeable man who was popular in the small community. He spoke little French but managed to communicate with locals in the bar.

Mr Miller inherited the house where he lived alone from his uncle. His mother came from the village and his father was English.

Prior to moving into the house four years ago Mr Miller had lived in Toronto, Canada, according to café owner Jacques Goguer, 51.

'His sister who was from England introduced him to us four years ago and said he was her brother,' he added.

'We got to know him well. He was from England had played in a band as a guitarist in Canada.

'He had lived here in his house for four years. He inherited the house from his uncle when he died. Glenn's mother was a local French woman from the village and his father was English.

'Latterly he had had a problem with his hand due probably to arthritis. He said he couldn't play guitar anymore because he couldn't move his fingers much.