Horror of backpacker

A British backpacker screamed in terror as she was thrown to her death from a bridge, a court heard today.

Caroline Stuttle, 19, was attacked and robbed before being pushed off the Burnett River Bridge in Bundaberg, northern Queensland.

A Supreme Court jury was told how people in a nearby caravan park heard her cry out as she was pushed over the 30ft bridge.

Drug addict and drifter Ian Douglas Previte, 32, denies robbing and killing the gap-year student in April 2002. Previte is facing life imprisonment if found guilty.

Miss Stuttle, from York, had been backpacking around Australia with her best friend Sarah Holiday, 20. They were in Bundaberg working as tomato pickers.

Miss Stuttle was walking back to a campsite from a telephone kiosk where she had phoned her boyfriend in England when she was attacked. About 100 witnesses, including four from England, will appear at the trial in Bundaberg which is expected to last three weeks. A jury of five women and seven men were sworn in this morning.

Her brother Richard Stuttle, 27, was in court today, sitting a few feet from the accused. Speaking outside before the start of the trial, he said: "We still miss her every day. It gets a little bit easier, but it's still very, very difficult most days."

Her father Alan said: "Let's hope justice can be done. We have to remember that this man is innocent until proven guilty but if he did kill Caroline we have to make sure he doesn't kill anyone else. It's been hell on earth but the important thing is that we don't have a recurrence of this heinous crime."

Mr Stuttle, an artist and gallery owner, said that while he was in Australia he would retrace his daughter's steps, painting places she had visited.

He described her as "a vibrant young woman" who was full of love, life and energy.

Miss Stuttle died instantly from head and spine injuries. Her handbag, containing a small amount of cash, and her mobile phone were stolen.

She was still clutching the strap of her handbag when she fell. Pathologists say she put up a fierce struggle. A bruise on her right hand showed she probably punched her assailant.

Mr Stuttle, together with other close family members, visited the memorial to his daughter at the spot where she died, soon after the murder. Since then, his family have set up a charitable trust, called Caroline's Rainbow Foundation, to help backpackers around the world who find themselves in distress.

He said he plans to fly out for the last two weeks of the trial. "Two weeks is enough. I just want to be there for the verdict.''

His wife Marjorie, 56, said she cannot bear to attend court to face her daughter's alleged attacker.

Speaking a few days ago she said the experience had been "unbelievably distressing" but she would be keeping in touch with her son Richard each day of the trial.

Miss Stuttle had completed her A-levels at York College and was on a gap year before starting a psychology degree at Manchester University.

She had been in Australia for about two months but had only arrived at Bundaberg a few days earlier.

The small town, on the route to the Great Barrier Reef, is a popular stop for backpackers who want to help fund their travels with fruit picking.