Mother asked teacher to keep an eye on 'bright, happy' daughter

The mother of Caroline described her yesterday as a happy daughter who adored school and whose best friend was her sister.

The mother of Caroline described her yesterday as a happy daughter who adored school and whose best friend was her sister.

Sue Dickinson painted a poignant picture of her bright, positive daughter to the French court trying the man accused of Caroline's murder.

She revealed that she had asked a teacher to "keep an eye on" Caroline during the school trip because she was concerned that the teenager was without a good friend and might be shy.

Mrs Dickinson, 46, said her daughter had called the family home in Cornwall to assure her that she was having a good time. "She phoned to say France was great but the hostel was 'crappy'. That was the last I heard from her." Mrs Dickinson recalled that she had been concerned about sending her daughter on the end-of-term trip. "I was a bit worried because, though she knew all the other girls, she didn't have a real good friend, so I had asked the teacher to keep an eye on her as she was a bit shy," she said.

Mrs Dickinson said that Caroline was keen on ballet and playing in the school orchestra. "Caroline was a happy child who loved music and played the clarinet," she said. "Her best friend was her sister.

"She adored school, she absolutely loved it and got good school reports."