The daughter of a British expat stabbed during a home invasion in Australia screamed “please help my mum” as her mother lay dying.
Emma Lovell, 41, was killed after she and husband Lee confronted a pair of intruders breaking into their Queensland home on Boxing Day.
The mum-of-two suffered a critical chest wound during a “scuffle” on the front porch.
One of the couple’s distraught daughters alerted neighbours by screaming: “Someone help my mum, help my mum.”
Outside the family home on Tuesday, Lee, 43, told how his wife “died trying to protect me and our family”.
He said: “Emma was the glue to my family, she was such a beautiful person.
“We are all just devastated by her loss, it’s senseless.
“We heard our two dogs barking, Emma checked on our security app and saw the front door open.
“We both rushed out of our bedroom door, Emma behind me, and saw two people in our house. I didn’t even know there was an issue until my daughter spotted her mum was bleeding.”
Following the horrific tragedy, two 17-year-olds have been charged, each with a count of murder, attempted murder and entering a dwelling with intent.
Police are questioning another two men, aged 18 and 16.
Emma and Lee - who moved from Suffolk to Australia 11 years ago - had celebrated Christmas on the beach the day before.
Lee was treated in hospital for a stab wound and released.
Emma’s best friend of 33 years, Christina Lofthouse, 41, described her as “the best friend a girl could have”.
She added: “She was the first person I messaged in the morning and the last person I spoke to at night.
“I’m utterly heartbroken my best friend is gone and I don’t get to speak to her again, hug her again, laugh with her and cry with her.
“Her poor daughters, husband, mum, brother and sister. As a family we are heartbroken to lose the best friend a girl could have. We had a friendship like no other.”
Christina said the pair were “always together in spirit” despite their distance apart.
She said: “Even though we were 10,000 miles away, we were always together in spirit.
“She truly had a heart of gold and helped me and my family out in some of our darkest days.”
Martyn McIntee, 42, another of Emma’s close friends, had planned on visiting her in Queensland in February.
He said: “Emma was the most amazing person in the world. We were inseparable in high school.
“When we were younger, we had a deal that if we weren’t married before we hit 40, we would marry each other.
“I will miss her so much. I can’t even imagine the pain her mum, brothers, Lee and their girls are going through.”
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