French town buries murdered Lyhanna, 11, as questions over police failings mount

The prime suspect in the killing of Lyhanna, 11, was reported to police nine months prior but never questioned.

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Fellow residents joined the girl's family for a funeral ceremony before she was interred in the cemetery of the small town of Fleurance, 50km (30 miles) west of Toulouse.

Mayors across the broader Gers region called on people to gather in support of the family outside town halls, where flags were flown at half-mast.

Lyhanna's murder provoked a wave of revulsion across France after it emerged prime suspect Jérôme Barella, 41, was denounced nine months ago to police for alleged repeated sexual abuse of a 10-year-old.

He was not questioned even once by investigators.