Family pay tribute to 'beautiful' teen Bobbi-Anne 'ripped away' from them by killer Cody Ackland
The family of Plymouth teenager Bobbi-Anne McLeod have said she "lit up the lives of everyone she met" as her murderer was jailed for life.
Cody Ackland, 24, attacked the 18-year-old at random as she waited at a bus stop near her home in Leigham.
Today (19 May), Cody Ackland was jailed for life and will serve a minimum of 30 years and 190 days. He was told he may never be released.
The court heard how he was obsessed with serial killers such as Ted Bundy and has shown no remorse for the killing - even going to the cinema and for pizza with friends before handing himself in to police.
His victim, Bobbi-Anne McLeod, will always be remembered in Plymouth.
The city rallied to support those who loved and knew her and vigils saw the streets lined with people paying their respects. She was well loved and cherished by her family and friends, the city was rocked by her death.
In a victim impact statement from Bobbi-Anne's mother, she described her daughter as "kind, loving and loyal".
She said the teenager wanted to go to college, become an interior designer and have children. She had "so much more to do".
Addressing her daughter's killer, she said: "That’s the life you so cruelly ripped away from her and us, and for what?".
Following the sentencing of Ackland, Bobbi-Anne's family issued a moving statement describing their daughter and sister as a funny and loyal young woman.
The McLeod family's statement in full
"Bobbi was a beautiful girl who lit up our lives and the lives of everyone she ever met. She was kind, funny, and loyal.
"She was the best daughter, the best sister, and the best friend to so many people. Everybody who knew Bobbi loved her.
"We've been robbed of our beautiful girl in the worst possible way and our lives will never be the same without her.
"I want Cody Ackland to know that he has taken away our world. We will never see her beautiful face or hear her laugh, see her get married or have the children that she so wanted.
"So many everyday things have been taken away. Her not being here is still unimaginable.
"Our lives have changed forever. We've not been able to say goodbye to Bobbi-Anne and we can only imagine the things that he did to her – the thoughts are continually going around in our minds. Why Bobbi-Anne? Why make her suffer? To know her final hours were spent being tortured destroys us inside.
"Bobbi-Anne was so loved and had so many life plans; he cruelly ripped that life away from her and us.
"We can’t even contemplate a future without her in it. There will never be anything the justice system can impose that will ever come close to what he deserves.
"We do want to say thank you to everyone. There is no piece of paper, bulletin board, flyer, or anything big enough out there on which we can say thank you.
"The help and support from everyone, not just family but everyone, who helped with all the posters, posts and messages to bring our baby, Bobbi, home - thank you.
"To everyone in the police, the investigation team and all of the services - we thank you for everything you have done and for finally getting justice for Bobbi-Anne."