The siblings of a student who was murdered 10 years ago after a night out, have said the pain has never gone away and want their beautiful sister to be remembered.
India Chipchase, 20, was raped and killed by Edward Tenniswood in Northampton after he offered to get her home safely.
Harry Chipchase, 28, said it was “difficult to put into words” how he felt about her on the anniversary of her death as she was “the most kind, caring person”.
Along with his sisters, Lulu and Pia, the family said supporting the charity Northampton Guardians, which was set up in her honour to try to keep people safe, had kept her legacy alive.
Harry was 18 when his sister was murdered and he said he would always be her “little brother”.
“She really lit up every room she went into. She had loads of friends and was loved by all her family,” he said.
“She’d take us under her wing; she was the one that kept us together really. Really supportive of us all [and] mum and dad — she was just a great person.”
A decade on, her sisters Pia, 25, and Lulu, 21, have surpassed the age their sister was when she was killed.
Lulu said: “She was my idol, she still is. I always looked up to her as a second mum.
“She would put other people before herself a lot of the time. She was very outgoing and confident and I just think that’s something I would aspire to be like.
“I think now, when I see myself growing up, I do think I’m shaping into her.”
Speaking of her sister’s aspirations, Pia said India wanted to be a paramedic, but “never got the chance”.
“The past 10 years have been the hardest 10 years of my life. It never gets easier,” she said.
“I just want her to be remembered for who she was. She was beautiful, she just lit up any room she walked into.”
Harry Chipchase says the hole his sister left behind will “never been replaced” [PA Media]
Founded by their mother Sue Chipchase in 2021, Northampton Guardians has helped thousands of vulnerable young women and men on Friday and Saturday nights out in the town.
Harry Chipchase said: “We need to make sure people in Northampton on a night are going to return home.
“Everyone can be vulnerable when intoxicated so we really need to make sure that doesn’t happen and the aim is to prevent that.”
Volunteers from the charity patrol the town centre on foot and operate from a Safer Nights Out van providing a space for people to charge their phones and get water.
Lulu said: “I think we both feel safer when we go out. It’s like someone is always going to be there… it’s just very comforting knowing they will be there every time I go; it’s almost a relief.”
A service of remembrance was held at All Saints’ Church on Friday and venues were asked to light up the town purple, which was India’s favourite colour.
While it is a time for the family to pay tribute, Harry Chipchase said the hole India left would never be filled.
“Whether they knew her or whether they didn’t, it’s just really important to keep that going,” he said.
India Chipchase, 20, was found dead at a house in Northampton in 2016 [Northampton Guardians]
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