THE murder of York backpacker Caroline Stuttle should not deter teenagers from going on adventures abroad, coroner Donald Coverdale told an inquest into her death.

A verdict of unlawful killing was recorded at the hearing in York which was attended by 19-year-old Caroline's parents Alan Stuttle and Marjorie Marks-Stuttle.

Caroline, from Huntington Road, was killed in the Queensland town of Bundaberg when she was pushed off a bridge by drug addict Ian Previte in April 2002.

Mr Coverdale formally endorsed the verdict of the Australian court that Caroline was unlawfully killed.

The verdict came on the same day that state-funded lawyers at Legal Aid Queensland said Previte was seeking a second appeal to his conviction in Australia's highest court.

Said Mr Coverdale: "Caroline was taking a year out from college and was visiting, backpacking in fact, in Australia. She had been doing some casual work and had been returning one evening to the place where she was staying on the evening of April 10, 2002.

"She made a telephone call to York and shortly after that telephone call some screams were heard and Caroline was later found beneath the bridge. Certainly early indications were that she had been forced, pushed or thrown from the bridge, a distance of some 30ft."

The post-mortem report revealed that the cause of death was due to massive head and spinal injuries.

Mr Coverdale praised the work of Caroline's mother, who set up Caroline's Rainbow Foundation in memory of her daughter, which is aimed at promoting safe travel for teenagers abroad.

"She did not deserve to be thrown from that bridge so brutally," he told the hearing.

"Fortunately such assaults are very rare.

"It would be a shame if young people were discouraged from taking adventures abroad."

Mrs Marks-Stuttle, who broke down in tears during the inquest, said outside the court: "I haven't been able to face Australia but part of me has never really listened to details because it's just too hard. It never goes away, losing Caroline. You'd like to turn the clock back but you can't."

She said it was helpful to think that Previte was behind bars. She said: "We're trying to think of the positive side and she (Caroline) sends me rainbows all the time so we know she's watching over us."

Mr Stuttle said: "It's important to get closure and we've got that today. Now we've got to use her example of life to move forward and to encourage our young people to get out there and enjoy their lives. Don't be put off by these awful tragedies."

Updated: 11:12 Friday, May 27, 2005