Alps Murders: Witness Talks Of Awful Dilemma

The British cyclist who chanced upon the scene of a quadruple murder in the French Alps has spoken of his horror at the discovery.

Brett Martin found members of the al Hilli family shot dead in their car and their seven-year-old daughter collapsed at the side of the road.

He said his toughest choice was having to leave Zainab, who had been shot and badly beaten, so that he could get help.

"It was an uncomfortable decision," he said.

Mr Martin, from East Sussex, said that he had to leave the scene to get telephone signal so he could call for help.

"She was light so I could've done a fireman's lift and taken her on my bike," he said.

"But she had injuries and it seemed from the very low level medical training that I've had that if there's a risk of internal bleeding and wounds, dragging her along like a ragdoll over my shoulder might have killed her."

He said that he left the child in the recovery position and went for help.

Mr Martin, a former member of the RAF, said he initially believed there had been a car accident after coming across the scene while cycling in the forest.

"As I got a little bit closer a very young child stumbled out into the road. At first I thought she was just playing with a sibling, she was falling over and larking about like a child would.

"However as I approached her it was obvious that she was quite badly injured."

He added: "I've never seen people who have been shot before".

"It seemed to me just like a Hollywood film, but unfortunately it was real life.

"I thought maybe there was some crazy person in the woods. I started scanning the woods to see if there was a nutter hiding and I was going to be the next person shot."

Saad al Hilli, 50, and his dentist wife Iqbal, 47, were murdered along with her mother - named in reports as Suhaila al Allaf - in a remote spot close to Lake Annecy a week ago.

French cyclist Sylvain Mollier, 45, who is believed to have stumbled across the scene, was also shot dead.