Ashley Wadsworth pictured on Tower Bridge
(Picture: Facebook)A Canadian teenager was visiting a boyfriend she met online when she was killed on a “trip of a lifetime” to London.
Ashley Wadsworth, 19, was allegedly on the phone to her family when she was killed in a “domestic disturbance” in a flat she was sharing with her boyfriend Jack Sepple, 23, on Tuesday at 4pm.
He has been charged with her murder appearing in court wearing a grey jumper and trousers on Thursday, the day Ms Wadsworth was due to catch a flight back to Canada.
Ms Wadsworth’s family claim she met Mr Sepple, 23, online and had flown to the UK in November as a “birthday present”.
She posted happy selfies of herself with Mr Sepple visiting London on Facebook hours before she was killed.
Her aunt Shawna Wadsworth told The Standard: “She was amazing none of this makes sense and I can’t get any answers.
“I need to know the truth.
“Ashley knew three languages, was an excellent student. She didn’t have an easy life but beat the odds. She was very excited to visit London as a tourist.
“She was a star and still is.”
Friends claimed that Ashley had tried to book flights to return home to Vernon, Canada, the night she was killed in Chelmsford, Essex.
She was told she had to wait for the results of a Covid test before flying.
Devastated friends flooded social media with tributes to the teenager, who was a devout Christian.
MacKenzie Palm, Ashley’s best friend since seventh grade, wrote on Facebook: “You were my rock. We went through so many phases together, we did so many silly things together.
“We made so many memories.
“Please never forget that you are my friend and most importantly my family.
“I hope heaven is everything you read about in church and more. And Ashley just know, I love you.
“I promise I will do my best to take care of your family for you.”
Friend Larissa Kontos said Ashley was returning home to Canada two days after she was killed.
“I’ve been trying to come up with words for hours. I have wrote out a post and then deleted it. Because nothing I say will bring you back.
“You will be truly missed by so many.
“Shine bright girly.”
Sepple, of Tennyson Road, Chelmsford, was remanded into custody and will next appear at Chelmsford Crown Court on Friday.
