Jeshma was stabbed three times through the heart

The service took place in Ruislip, west London, on Thursday, a few miles from the 17-year-old's home.

Jeshma, from Greenford, was raped and stabbed on 16 May on her way home after shopping at Wembley High Road.

Viktors Dembovskis, 42, who was arrested in Latvia last month over the killing, has appealed against a decision to extradite him to the UK.

Jeshma's father, Suresh, and mother, Manjula, said on Friday: "Our entire family are devastated that our much-loved Jeshma, so young, bright and beautiful, has been taken from us before her time.

Extradition decision

"We can only wonder why. We hope and pray that Jeshma is in a better place, where tragedies do not occur."

Jeshma was reported missing by her parents on 16 May after she failed to return home from school. Her body was found eight days later.

She had been stabbed three times through the heart.

Police believe she was grabbed by a stranger and taken to a secluded wooded den.

Mr Dembovskis, a Latvian national who has denied involvement, was arrested last month in his home town of Livani, in eastern Latvia.

The Latvian Supreme Court has 20 days to rule on whether to accept the decision to extradite him to the UK to stand trial, or to have him tried in Latvia.