STUDENT backpackers are being given advice by former SAS soldiers to avoid accidents while travelling abroad.
The initiative is being supported by Marjorie Marks-Stuttle, the mother of backpacker Caroline Stuttle, from York, who was killed in Australia in 2002.
Objective Team is a safety training firm founded by former SAS and Army officers. Instructors give gap-year teenagers training in first-aid and martial arts, and teach them how to deal with extreme circumstances, such as muggings and kidnappings.
At a one-day seminar in London last week, Ms Marks-Stuttle told parents: "The important thing is that youngsters follow their dreams but do their research and be safe."
Miss Stuttle, 19, was attacked on a bridge and thrown to her death.
Ian Previte, 32, is on trial in Australia charged with her murder. He has pleaded not guilty.
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