How safe is your child’s gap year?
Following the shocking deaths of British backpackers abroad, Closer investigates the perils of travelling the world
When Grace Millane boarded a plane in October 2018, she was about to embark on a round-the-world trip of a lifetime. But just eight weeks into her gap year, on the eve of her 22nd birthday, she tragically died, allegedly in a sex game that went wrong.
The trial into her death began in Auckland, New Zealand, last week, where prosecutors said the 21-year-old was strangled by her Tinder date – a 27-year-old man who remains anonymous. But the defence argue she died after “consensual rough sex” went wrong.
SUSPICIOUS
The high-profile court case came just days after the body of another British backpacker, Amelia Bambridge, 21, was found floating in the sea 30 miles off the island of Koh Rong, Cambodia. Although six men were arrested and questioned during the investigation, the cause of her death was later concluded as drowning.
Every year, between 60 and 90 UK citizens die in suspicious circumstances overseas. Last year, the Foreign Office helped more than 22,000 British people abroad, including cases involving over 4,000 deaths.
Hannah Witheridge and David Miller, who had been travelling separately, were murdered on a beach on Koh Tao, a Thai island, in 2014. It’s thought Hannah was raped and David tried to step in to help. Both were bludgeoned to death. Eight other travellers have died on the island in mysterious circumstances since 2012.
But despite safety warnings released by the Foreign Office for popular destinations such as Cambodia and Thailand, gap year trips are still attracting 230,000 18 to 25-year-olds from the UK annually.
Now, experts are questioning how safe gap years really are for young travellers.
Travel safety expert and author of The Travel Survival Guide, Lloyd Figgins, tells Closer, “Travelling the world is an amazing experience that gives priceless memories. And overall, it’s a safe experience for most people.
“Some high-profile cases of murders and accidents could terrify parents of travellers, but while everyone should be on their guard when travelling, these tragic incidents are, thankfully, very rare.
“However, young people are more vulnerable when travelling in an unfamiliar country, and it only takes one momentary lapse of judgement for a catastrophe to arise. Away from home, it’s too easy to relax boundaries, and it doesn’t help that policing abroad doesn’t always meet the high standard of UK police forces. Gap-year students should always research before they travel and consider situational awareness.”
DANGER
When Marjorie Marks-Stuttle, 71, waved goodbye to her youngest child, Caroline, in January 2002, she was excited for her daughter to have the opportunity to travel the globe.
But four months later, Marjorie received the devastating news that Caroline, 19, had died after she had been robbed and pushed off a bridge in Queensland, Australia.
After two years of police investigations, her killer, Ian Previte, was sentenced to a minimum of 15 years in prison.
Marjorie says, “Caroline worked part-time at a pizza restaurant, where she saved up for months to pay for her gap year. She was so kind-hearted and caring. She saved pizzas for the homeless after her shifts – that’s the kind of thoughtful girl she was.
“Caroline was preparing to study psychology at university, but she wanted to travel first.
“She went with her friend Sarah, and always kept in touch with us during her travels. We never sensed any danger.”
But in April 2002, Caroline was attacked one evening, after calling her boyfriend at a pay
phone. She was confronted by drug addict Ian Previte, who robbed her of her belongings then threw her off a bridge.
Marjorie says, “The police knocked on my door at 3am and told me Caroline had been killed. I was hysterical. My ex-husband and son, Richard, went to Australia for the trial, but I couldn’t go to the country where she’d been killed.”
GRIEVING
The court heard that Previte was high on a cocktail of drugs when he killed Caroline in a normally safe, small town.
He had tried to grab her handbag, but Caroline struggled. Previte then threw her over the railings of a bridge, where she died of head injuries following a 30 foot fall.
Marjorie, her husband
David, and Richard set up the charity, Caroline’s Rainbow Foundation, within months of her death, which offers free advice to travellers ahead of their gap-year travels.
Richard, 42, says, “The charity has helped Caroline’s legacy to live on and has helped us grieve. We give talks to students and parents and now we have a Safer Travel app with
important information you may need ahead of travelling.
“As much as parents want to wrap their children in cotton wool, we can’t stop them from chasing their dreams. But
it’s important that people are armed with knowledge before embarking on a gap year. If Caroline had known that it’s safer to hand over belongings to an attacker, she might still be here today.”
Marjorie continues to grieve for her daughter. She says, “Even now when I hear about young people whose lives have been taken too soon, the hurt comes flooding back.
“You don’t just lose one life – the whole family is impacted forever. Caroline will always be in our hearts.”
By Bella Evennett-Watts
● To find out more about Caroline’s Rainbow Foundation, go to carolinesrainbowfoundation.org