Candles for caroline: Minster service for murdered student

A SERVICE celebrating the life of murdered backpacker Caroline Stuttle was held at York Minster last night on the 10th anniversary of her death.
By The Newsroom
Published 11th Apr 2012, 07:00 BST

Ms Stuttle’s mother, Marjorie Marks, called her daughter a “special person” and added “we feel touched people want to remember Caroline”.

The 19-year-old gap-year student, from York, was killed during a bag-snatch when she was pushed off a 30ft bridge at Bundaberg in Australia in April 2002. Drug addict Ian Previte, who was found guilty of her murder in October 2004, is serving a life sentence.

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The Dean of York led prayers at last night’s service during which her friends and family celebrated Caroline’s life and lit candles in her memory. The service also featured a reading by her brother, Richard, and Handel’s aria Where’er you Walk sung by mezzo-soprano Julia Riley.

Caroline’s father, Alan, said parents had to have “the strength to go on” despite such tragedies, and her brother Richard said the family felt “passionate” about their work helping other young people in his sister’s name. A charity, Caroline’s Rainbow Foundation, was founded in her memory to promote safe travel to young people.

Mrs Marks added: “Caroline was such an inspirational young lady and it’s good to carry on in her name. We just hope we can save one life and stop another family going through what we went through.”