Police investigate possible serial killer near Paris

Police in a suburb to the south of Paris fear a serial killer is on the loose after a woman was shot dead on Thursday night - the fourth similar crime in the Essonne region in five months. 

Reuters/Charles Platiau

The woman, aged-47 was shot in the head several times before the murderer escaped on a scooter. The murders are carried out by man wearing a crash helmet who uses the same gun in each case - a small calibre weapon not usually used by criminals.

Interior Minister Claude Guéant says the murders are a serious cause for concern and the authorities have not ruled out the possibility of a serial killer.

The first victim, a laboratory assistant aged-35, was killed last November. A former boyfriend was arrested and charged with the crime, but he has since claimed his innocence.

The murders have all taken place within a 10 kilometre radius with no apparent connection between the four victims.

As well as the two female victims, the others were a 51-year-old engineer and a an 81-year-old pensioner.

Police say they have ruled out religious or political motives for the crimes