Backpacker murder: Police suspect second man

The man seen shadowing teenage British backpacker Caroline Stuttle moments before her murder in an Australian town may have been involved in an incident in a shopping mall the morning after her death.

Police in the Queensland town of Bundaberg were told a man, fitting the stalker’s description, flew into a rage after hitting his head on a cafe’s parasol and threw it to the ground, reported the Brisbane Courier Mail.

Witnesses have said he resembled the police photofit picture of a white man, aged between 25 and 30, 5 ft 6 ins tall, of solid build, collar-length brown hair and a fair complexion.

The new suspect followed the weekend arrest of another man, aged 21, who was questioned extensively by police about the murder. He is in custody and will appear in court tomorrow on drugs charges.

Police said the man, who also resembled the stalker’s description, was not a suspect despite taking him to the scene of Caroline’s death on Saturday night.

Caroline, from York in England, died from massive head and spinal injuries after being assaulted last Wednesday and then falling from a bridge to her death.

The people of Bundaberg have set up a makeshift memorial to the 19-year-old backpacker.

A small table was adorned with flowers, poetry and a condolence book to be sent to her parents who were expected to make arrangements to have their daughter’s body flown to England after it is formally released by Bundaberg’s coroner today.

Queensland Prime Minister Peter Beattie is planning to visit Briton to convince potential tourists that Queensland is safe.

‘‘This is one of the safest destinations on Earth and I will use every opportunity I can to go out and tell the world that we are a safe place,’’ he said.

‘‘We are deeply sorry about what’s happened and I don’t want to, in any way, cover over the embarrassment or the tragedy that’s happened to this young woman.’’

Mr Beattie also offered to meet Caroline’s family if they believed it would help with the grieving process.