A MOTHER’S quest for justice will see her return to Turkey for the first time since her daughter was killed by a terrorist bomb during a family holiday.

Helyn Bennett, 21, of Spennymoor, County Durham, was one of five people killed on July 16, 2005, when a bomb exploded on a bus.

Next month, her mother, Sharon Holden, and aunt, Toni Punshon, will see the suspected bomber stand trial.

Although the twin sisters, aged 44, know it will be difficult as the memories of their last trip will always haunt them, they are determined to see justice served.

Mrs Holden, of South Street, Spennymoor, said: “I’ve lost four years of my life since losing Helyn, and three years since he was arrested waiting for a trial.

“I’ve got to the stage now where I have to go. I cannot understand how anyone could do this, I have to see him.”

The alleged killer, known only by the initials MSF, was arrested in April 2006 on suspicion of the murder of five people in the blast, in the coastal resort of Kusadasi.

He was also accused of belonging to the PKK terrorist organisation, also known as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, and conspiracy to commit further terrorist acts on the Turkish mainland.

He is due in court in Izmir on June 30. If he pleads guilty, he may be sentenced on the same day.

Mrs Holden said: “We’ll never get closure, but it has dragged on so long I hope we see justice served. I’ll be really devastated if we don’t.”

Four members of Miss Bennett’s family, including Ms Punshon, and fiance Stephen Stables, were hurt in the blast. Mrs Holden and three other members of the party escaped because they were visiting a Greek island.

Mrs Holden also plans to visit the explosion site to lay flowers from her family and colleagues at the University Hospital of North Durham’s canteen, where her daughter was a trainee chef and where Mrs Holden and Ms Punshon both work.

She said: “Friends who went back said there is nothing there to mark what happened. It’s all hidden from the tourists.”

The trip is being arranged by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.