The body of Amelia Blake, 22, returned home to the UK today following a 24-hour flight from Sydney
The heartbroken family of a British backpacker killed in a Sydney murder-suicide have collected her body from a UK airport after a 24-hour flight.
Amelia Blake, 22, is thought to have been killed by her obsessed boyfriend Brazil Gurung, 33, who was furious about her leaving the country, where she had been for eight months before deciding to leave for Thailand.
Her parents builder Chris and secretary Sharon were ‘beside themselves with grief’ as they met the coffin at Manchester Airport at around 4pm today, according to a family friend.
The friend told The Sun: ‘Instead of greeting their beaming daughter at the end of her months-long adventure they were confronted with her coffin. It is unimaginable.
‘Amelia had been fulfilling her dream of travelling the world before settling down to a career and she had decided to come home in a matter of weeks before her life was brutally and cruelly cut short.’
Ms Blake, who had a younger sister, Lola, 20, died inside the unit she shared with Gurung on King Street in Newtown, in Sydney’s inner-west, on December 12.
Ms Blake is thought to have been killed by her obsessed boyfriend Brazil Gurung, 33, who was furious about her leaving the country, where she had been travelling (pictured)
Ms Blake, who had a younger sister, Lola, 20, died inside the unit (pictured) she shared with Gurung on King Street in Newtown, in Sydney’s inner-west, on December 12
The pair met while colleagues at Fogo Brazillia Churrasco, a restaurant where Gurung was the head chef and Ms Blake a waitress.
The restaurant is just a few minutes’ walk from the grisly scene of the horror killing at a tiny apartment on busy King Street, at the heart of Newtown.
Ms Blake’s are believed to have flown out to Sydney following their daughter’s death, when they released a statement through the UK Foreign Office.
‘We are deeply shocked and saddened by the sudden passing of our much loved daughter and sister Amelia, who will be truly missed by all who knew her,’ they said.
Gurung pictured in an undated social media photo
‘We would like to thank everyone for the love and support shown to our family.
‘As we try to come to terms with losing our beautiful girl, we would very much appreciate privacy at this extremely difficult time.’
Her best friend, Rhys James Collington, said Ms Blake died while ‘living the dream travelling round Australia’.
‘She was a beautiful, kind woman with a big heart full of kindness,’ Mr Collington told Daily Mail Australia
Another friend, Ellie Mackness, remembered Ms Blake for her infectious smile and down-to-earth attitude.
‘She was the most warm-hearted, bubbly, loving and down to earth woman I knew,’ she wrote.
The Foreign Office said: ‘We are unable to provide details on repatriation as this process is undertaken privately by the deceased’s next of kin, typically in conjunction with their insurance provider or funeral director.’
Ms Blake (front) was found dead in her tiny Newtown flat in Sydney’s inner-west, alongside the body of her older Nepalese boyfriend
Friend Ellie Mackness, remembered Ms Blake for her infectious smile and down-to-earth attitude