Heartbroken mum of Brit backpacker Mia Ayliffe-Chung who was stabbed to death in Australia has paid tribute to her daughter
MIA Ayliffe-Chung was 'living her dream' when she was killed at hostel
THE heartbroken mum of the Brit backpacker stabbed to death in Australia has paid tribute to her 'clever, sassy, and kind' daughter tonight.
Rosie Ayliffe spoke of her grief after her daughter, Mia Ayliffe-Chung, was killed in a brutal attack at a backpackers' hostel while three others are thought to have been injured.
Devastated Rosie said: "My beloved daughter Mia was an amazing young woman with an adventurous spirit.
"Not only was she kind and funny, she was clever, sassy, with a sense of fun.
"Mia was full of the kind of open-minded compassion for life that you don't see that often."
Rosie added: "It felt as though she was reminding us all of the beauty and possibilities we each have and that we should live life to the full.
"She was always at one with herself, so whole.
"Above all else she had a strong sense of right and wrong and would always look after those she considered in need."
Calling her an “outstanding friend to many” Rosie added: “Her feisty nature and strong sense of justice made Mia a beloved friend to her peers and to all those who knew her.
"Mia was a rare person who saw beyond race, creed and belief.
"She would always treat others with dignity, respect and kindness.
"Just seeing her outward appearance could not give you an inkling of how wonderful she was, emotionally, socially and mentally.
"As a peaceful person Mia had huge respect for everybody.
"She would not want to be the reason for any hostilities caused by any misrepresentations of events."
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According to the , Frenchman Smail Ayad was arrested at the scene of the attack but has yet to be formally charged.
The paper stated cops were probing a theory that he may have been infatuated with Mia, who was staying at the hostel while working as a fruitpicker.
Ayad, 29, had told other backpackers the pair were deeply in love and married - but his alleged obsession turned sour after hearing she posed for revealing photos and did not reciprocate his feelings, the reported.
Police have said he is a visitor to Australia who has been in the country since around March on a temporary visa and has no known local connections.
He was also a champion kickboxer who had trained in Thailand, and he injured two officers during his detainment, local media reported.
He said they were still trying to find out what he has been doing in the country since his arrival but he was not known to police before the attack.
Mia, 21, had recently described how she was living her "dream" travelling through parts of Africa and Asia before settling to work as a barmaid on the Gold Coast.
She was knifed in a frenzied attack in front of 30 horrified witnesses, while her attacker is alleged to have shouted "Allahu Akbar" during the ordeal.
Mia's final Facebook posts show her enjoying her new life abroad as she declares she is "living my dream".
Only weeks ago, the backpacker posted on Facebook: "The hardest thing living my dream, missing the important home things. Graduations, people in hospital, funerals and birthdays."
Her mother responded: "You'll be back in the blink of an eye, and we'll all still be doing the same old stuff for the most part. Live your dream and know you're in all our hearts."
Brit Tom Jackson is fighting for his life in hospital after reports that he was stabbed up to 15 times, while another Brit, Chris Porter, was said to be not seriously injured.
It has emerged the knifeman also stabbed a dog to death as he rampaged through a room of around 30 people on Tuesday night.
The stabbing took place at an accommodation complex in the Home Hill area of Queensland, at around 11.15pm local time on Tuesday.
Trudy Curtis, a close friend to Mia's mother Rosie, said her long-time pal was "in bits".
"Mia is Rosie's only daughter. She is in bits. She hasn't had a chance to process everything because she's been getting constant phone calls and people knocking on her doors.
"The authorities won't give her any information because they aren't 100 per cent sure what happened. I think Rosie is going to fly out there.
"She has her partner with her who is supporting her and police liaison officers have been with her all day. Mia was a beautiful person inside and out. I'm so shocked."
Mia, also known as Mimi, was from Wirksworth in Derbyshire and graduated from Buxton College last year after studying child care.
She was taking time off to travel after completing her studies and had already visited Morocco, Turkey, India and Thailand before leaving for Australia, where she had initially planned to spend a year.
She had been dating an Australian man, Jamison Stead, up until a few weeks ago. He told he was still trying to find out details of the attack.
Mia's 35-year-old sister Natasha was clearly upset as she spoke at her semi-detached home in Selhurst, south east London today.
She said she learned of her sister's death through a phone call from her other sister, Nicola, last night.
"I still don't know the full details of what happened. I wouldn't know what to say. I'm still in shock."
Mia's best friend Zoe Atkinson, 22, has also paid tribute to her "fun" and "live wire" pal.
"Mia was the most fun live wire you could ever come across. There was never a dull moment with her.
"Her passion was so alive you could feel it when around her. She always stood up for what she felt was right. She had huge amounts of empathy and loved very strongly.
"I am proud that she lived her dreams and that's all I ever wanted for her."
Mia's Friend Scott Ackland told MailOnline: "It is under such terrible circumstances that this has happened to such an amazing person.
"Our condolences go out to all of her family and friends. We are also thankful Chris Porter, our other co worker, was able to escape with minimal injuries and our thoughts are with the other man fighting for his life."
Mia was found dead when police arrived at the scene
Speaking from the family home in Congleton, Cheshire, Tom Jackson's sister, Olivia Jackson, 23, said: "We can't really comment too much at the minute.
"Tom hasn't been in a position to talk to us because he's still in a critical condition in hospital. We can't divulge too much else right now."
And Chris Porter's stepmother said today: "As far as I know he's okay, but I can't make any comments at the moment. He's in a stable condition he's just a bit fragile at the moment."
His brother Aaron told the how Chris leaped from a second storey window to escape the knifeman's frenzied attack.
"I think he has fractured both his heels - he was on the second storey and had to jump out the window.
"The guy has chased him down the road with the knife. He’s had to wave down a car and this guy was trying to smash through the car window."
Tommy Martin, 24, from Newbury, Berkshire, who met Mia in Bali before reuniting on the Gold Coast, said: "She was a free spirit who didn't have any set plans but that's the way she loved it."
Mia was only days into a three-month trip in the area having gone to do fruit picking work so she could extend her working holiday visa.
She was planning to return to the Gold Coast and the Bedroom Bar where she worked after doing the work.
Amy Browne, 19, from the Gold Coast, who worked as a bartender with Mia, said: "Mia was honestly the most bubbliest and most caring girl I knew.
"She got along with everyone she met, she just had that gorgeous personality that everyone seemed to enjoy.
"She always had a smile on her face, so innocent and full of life and love. Our memories will be cherished forever and I know she'd want us all to stay positive in the darkest of times. Rest in peace my beautiful friend, heaven has truly gained another angel."
Monique Cross, another friend, said: "She was a gorgeous person. It's an awful tragedy - I can't believe it."
A man who lives across the road from the hostel told he heard ";blood curdling screams" during the attack.
"It's a very quiet town. We heard the screams, I was terrified, it wasn't very pleasant at all. I'll never forget it.
"A sleepy little town like this, you don't expect things like that to happen."
In a press conference, deputy police commissioner Steve Gollschewski said the investigation was in its early stages and all motivations were being considered.
He said: "Initial inquiries indicate that comments which may be construed as being of an extremist nature were made by the alleged offender.
"It is alleged that the suspect used the phrase 'Allahu Akbar' during the attack and when arrested by police."
Detective Superintendent Ray Rohweder from the Queensland Police Service said officers were confronted with a "terrible scene" when they arrived.
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