 Jodi's brother and mother enter church |
The family and friends of the murdered teenager Jodi Jones have said their final farewells to her at her funeral. In a service at Gorebridge Parish Church, in Midlothian, the 14-year-old was remembered in spoken tributes, through music and by mourners who wore sunflower emblems, symbolising a precious life.
The teenager was murdered on a wooded path near her home in Easthouses on 30 June as she walked to meet her boyfriend Luke Mitchell.
Despite a massive police effort her killer has not been caught.
Jodi's murder shattered the community of Easthouses and Dalkeith and two months on that grief was still so painfully evident among the hundreds of mourners at her funeral.
Floral tributes spelling out the words Jodi and Toad, the nickname used by her mother Judy, were laid beside her white coffin.
 |  One day the person who stole Jodi's life will have to give account for what they have done to the one who on the cross suffered the consequences of evil and death, the risen Jesus  |
Pupils from Newbattle High School, which is close to where Jodi's body was found, stood in silent tribute as the funeral cortege passed on its way to the church.
Jodi's grief-stricken mother Judy, her brother Joseph and her sister Janine travelled in one of the funeral cars.
Lothian and Borders Police Chief Inspector Douglas Stewart saluted as they arrived at the church.
Senior detectives including Detective Inspector Tom Martin and Detective Superintendent Craig Dobbie also attended. They too were wearing the sunflower emblem.
Among the mourners were 45 pupils and staff from St David's High School in Dalkeith, which Jodi attended, many of whom wept as the coffin entered the church.
As the coffin was lifted into the church the psalm The Lord Is My Shepherd was sung.
 Jodi's coffin is carried into the church |
The presiding minister, the Reverend Mark Nicholas, said that amidst the pain, Jodi's mother had asked that the service reflect the joy that Jodi, who was so cruelly taken away, had given to everyone in her short life. He said: "Judy said that she wanted today to be a celebration of Jodi's life - it has been that. Her wish was also to share a message of hope.
"In an ancient text, written at a time when to be a follower of Jesus Christ was to face persecution and suffering, we read: 'May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him'.
"Today hope can seem distant, even inappropriate. But because Jesus Christ has overcome sin and death, he will never turn his back on us, never give up on us.
"To hope in Jesus is never to hope in vain. Though our lives are not free from pain or even tragedy, to return to the prayer language of the Psalms: 'Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning'."
Rev Nicholas then went on to pray that her killer would be captured.
He said: "One day the person who stole Jodi's life will have to give account for what they have done to the one who on the cross suffered the consequences of evil and death, the risen Jesus."
Rolling Stones
Headteacher, Marian Docherty spoke of a friendly girl with strong opinions who had the gift of laughter.
The service was relayed through loudspeakers to dozens of people outside.
Jodi's family had asked well-wishers to plant a sunflower in her memory instead of sending flowers.
Before the service, the song Come As You Are by Jodi's favourite band Nirvana was played.
 Hundreds of people attended |
The songs As Tears Go By by the Rolling Stones, Wish You Were Here, by Pink Floyd, chosen by her brother, and Let It Be by the Beatles were also played at the funeral. And a piece of music composed by Kate Young, a pupil at St David's High School, was played.
After the service, Jodi was buried at Gorebridge Cemetery where her father Jimmy Jones is buried.
Mr Jones died five years ago at the age of 39.
During the course of the nine-week investigation, police have interviewed several hundred people and have staged a reconstruction of Jodi's last known movements.
They have also questioned and released Jodi's 15-year-old boyfriend on two occasions.
He was in a search party which found Jodi's body on the path known as the Roman Dyke.
In an interview with Sky News on Wednesday, Luke said he was very disappointed not to have been able to attend the funeral but he had respected her family's wishes.
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