Murder victim. Caroline lived with her divorced mother, Sue Dickinson, (née Valentine) aged 38 and a nurse, and her sister, Jenny. She was a fine pupil and adored her school, Launceston College, a mixed comprehensive school in Launceston, Cornwall, England. Talented she had been a Brownie, taken ballet lessons and been a member of the school orchestra. She loved music and played the clarinet. Caroline's father, John Dickinson, 39, who was employed as an environmental health officer for North Cornwall district council, lived at Bodmin, Cornwall. Her mother was anxious about her when she went on her first ever school trip (40 pupils and 5 teachers) at the end of term to France because she was somewhat shy and, though she knew the other girls, had no real friend among them. Caroline's best friend was her 11 year old sister. Her mother requested the teacher to keep an eye on her. Caroline had never gone away before without her parents. She described her physically as a slim girl with long skinny legs and was not a good eater. In the early hours of Thursday, July 18th, 1996 -- according to the statement of two of the four girls who shared her room they heard groans and banging and saw her kicking in her sleeping bag and thought she was having a nightmare and a teacher heard footsteps going towards her room (no. 4 on the first floor) at 4 am and again on the shingle driveway leaving at 4:45 am -- she bravely tried to fight an attacker who sexually assaulted and murdered her by suffocation with a wad of cotton wool which had been used forcefully as a gag while she slept on the dormitory floor in a youth hostel at the village of Pleine-Fougeres, North-Western France. An outside door had been left unlocked. Apparently, this was a French law in case of fire. On the last day of her life she had gone with the rest of the pupils and teachers to visit Le Mont St. Michel. The evil perverted murderer may well have never been caught and punished except for her father's long, highly commendable and persistent battle with the slow and mystified French authorities for justice. A Spanish man, Francisco Arce Montes, aged 54, and described as a waiter and drifter who had sexually attacked numerous girls across Europe and America, was finally convicted of her murder at Rennes Court, Brittany, France in 2004 by matching DNA as primary evidence and sentenced to 30 years imprisonment with only a possibility of parole after 20 years. Caroline was just 13 years old when she most tragically died and this sad world lost to Heaven a highly precious good and kind young life. According to one of the girls in her room they had gazed with wonderment at the brilliant mass of stars in the balmy summer sky before going to bed that night and the last thing Caroline ever said was to sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". Caroline's funeral service was held at Saint Mary Magdalene Church in Launceston, Cornwall, England.
GOD BLESS YOUR BELOVED SPIRIT WITH SUBLIME JOY FOREVER!
GOD BLESS YOUR BELOVED SPIRIT WITH SUBLIME JOY FOREVER!
Murder victim. Caroline lived with her divorced mother, Sue Dickinson, (née Valentine) aged 38 and a nurse, and her sister, Jenny. She was a fine pupil and adored her school, Launceston College, a mixed comprehensive school in Launceston, Cornwall, England. Talented she had been a Brownie, taken ballet lessons and been a member of the school orchestra. She loved music and played the clarinet. Caroline's father, John Dickinson, 39, who was employed as an environmental health officer for North Cornwall district council, lived at Bodmin, Cornwall. Her mother was anxious about her when she went on her first ever school trip (40 pupils and 5 teachers) at the end of term to France because she was somewhat shy and, though she knew the other girls, had no real friend among them. Caroline's best friend was her 11 year old sister. Her mother requested the teacher to keep an eye on her. Caroline had never gone away before without her parents. She described her physically as a slim girl with long skinny legs and was not a good eater. In the early hours of Thursday, July 18th, 1996 -- according to the statement of two of the four girls who shared her room they heard groans and banging and saw her kicking in her sleeping bag and thought she was having a nightmare and a teacher heard footsteps going towards her room (no. 4 on the first floor) at 4 am and again on the shingle driveway leaving at 4:45 am -- she bravely tried to fight an attacker who sexually assaulted and murdered her by suffocation with a wad of cotton wool which had been used forcefully as a gag while she slept on the dormitory floor in a youth hostel at the village of Pleine-Fougeres, North-Western France. An outside door had been left unlocked. Apparently, this was a French law in case of fire. On the last day of her life she had gone with the rest of the pupils and teachers to visit Le Mont St. Michel. The evil perverted murderer may well have never been caught and punished except for her father's long, highly commendable and persistent battle with the slow and mystified French authorities for justice. A Spanish man, Francisco Arce Montes, aged 54, and described as a waiter and drifter who had sexually attacked numerous girls across Europe and America, was finally convicted of her murder at Rennes Court, Brittany, France in 2004 by matching DNA as primary evidence and sentenced to 30 years imprisonment with only a possibility of parole after 20 years. Caroline was just 13 years old when she most tragically died and this sad world lost to Heaven a highly precious good and kind young life. According to one of the girls in her room they had gazed with wonderment at the brilliant mass of stars in the balmy summer sky before going to bed that night and the last thing Caroline ever said was to sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". Caroline's funeral service was held at Saint Mary Magdalene Church in Launceston, Cornwall, England.
GOD BLESS YOUR BELOVED SPIRIT WITH SUBLIME JOY FOREVER!
GOD BLESS YOUR BELOVED SPIRIT WITH SUBLIME JOY FOREVER!
