Floods of tears for popular Ashleigh Hall (From The Northern Echo)

Floods of tears for popular Ashleigh Hall

9:10am Wednesday 11th November 2009

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HUNDREDS of mourners packed a town centre church to say a final farewell to teenager Ashleigh Hall, who was killed after meeting a man on the internet.

St Cuthbert’s Church, in Darlington Market Square, was left with standing room only as mourners gathered to pay their respects to the 17- year-old.

The church, one of the largest in the town, was chosen because of the large numbers expected to attend.

Ashleigh’s body was discovered in a field outside Sedgefield, County Durham on October 27.

She had gone missing the day before after going to meet somebody she had met on a social networking website.

Yesterday, friends and family heard tributes to a young girl “full of promise” who was taken “well before her time”.

Many of the mourners lined the approach to the church as the funeral cortege arrived.

The hearse was followed by a mourners’ car containing Ashleigh’s mother, Andrea, and other close family members.

Another hearse also followed containing many of the floral tributes.

Some of these were personal to Ashleigh and included wreaths in the shape of a mobile phone, hair curlers and a pink Playboy bunny which adorned the top of the coffin.

A message left on a wreath of pink roses said: “Can’t understand why you have been taken from me.

“I love you and miss you everyday. All my love, Mam.”

Another read: “To our beautiful Ashleigh. Will be loved and missed forever, Nan and Granddad.”

The bells tolled to mark 3pm as Ashleigh’s coffin was carried into the church.

As mourners took their place, a cover of the song Heaven, originally written by Bryan Adams, was played.

The Reverend Robert Williamson, who conducted the service, read out tributes to Ashleigh prepared by the family.

He said: “Ashleigh was a young girl, full of promise, she had her whole life ahead of her.

“She was taken from us unexpectedly which hurt and broke a lot of hearts.”

He described how Ashleigh was a girl who would do anything for anyone.

He added: “Ashleigh never hurt anyone, she was always polite and never had a bad word to say to anyone.

“Ashleigh … you were taken from us … well before your time.

“We all love and miss you so much.

“You are always in our hearts and thoughts, and are still a girl with a heart of gold.”

Boyband JLS’s version of Rihanna’s song Umbrella was then played before prayers were read out.

As the coffin left the church for a private cremation attended by close family, the Leona Lewis version of the Snow Patrol song Run was played.

■ Homeless Peter Chapman, 32, has been arrested and charged with Ashleigh’s manslaughter and kidnap. He is also charged with failing to register a change of address as required by the Sex Offenders Act. He is due to appear before Teesside Crown Court in January.

Yesterday, police repeated their appeal for a black Acer laptop, which they believe may have been owned by Mr Chapman.

Anyone who believes they may have bought it, or found it somewhere, is asked to call police on 0345-60-60-365 or Crimestoppers on 0800-555- 111.

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