THE grief-stricken mum of a Greenock woman whose body was found in the grounds of a church in England told of her 'rage' as it emerged that alleged murder victim Colette Law lay dead in a tent for a week before her remains were discovered.
Patricia Law, 63, fought back tears as she spoke to the Telegraph about her 'bubbly' and 'loving' 26-year-old daughter who recently left Inverclyde to try to start a new life for herself in Lincolnshire.
Patricia and her husband John, 64, were informed by police last week that their beloved Colette's body was found in the grounds of St Mary and St Nicolas Church in the market town of Spalding.
Murder accused Paul Neilson, 30, was charged in relation to Colette's death at the weekend and is now locked up after being remanded in custody during a court hearing yesterday.
Mum-of-three Patricia, a home care assistant, said that the news of Colette's tragic death had left her and John ‘numb’.
She said: “I was out working just round the corner. John had phoned me to say Colette was found dead.
“I just dropped everything and came around the road.
"They [the police] were telling us what had happened, but we weren’t listening.”
Recalling how Colette was known for her love of karaoke, Patricia added: “Every time I put the radio on now and hear a song, it was one of hers.
"There’s not a song that comes on now that Colette didn’t sing.”
The keen singer even tried out for the X Factor twice but never made it past the first round, and Patricia joked that her daughter ‘thought she was better than she was’.
Colette, a former pupil of the former St Mungo's Primary and St Stephen's High School, moved to Spalding in April, having previously lived in the Florence Street area of Greenock.
It is understood that she had been living in a tent within the church grounds while awaiting assistance from Lincolnshire County Council to find permanent accommodation.
Patricia recalled suspecting something was wrong after she didn’t hear from Colette, who was usually in regular contact, for several days.
Police were called to the church and discovered Colette’s body on July 17.
The charge against Neilson alleges that he murdered her full week earlier, on July 10.
He appeared at Lincoln Magistrates Court yesterday morning, where he was remanded in custody ahead of a hearing at Lincoln Crown Court today.
Colette’s parents spoke of their heartbreak at knowing their daughter lay for a week before she was found.
Patricia added: "It is just so terrible to think that our poor girl was left there like that and we didn't know anything about it.
"I was raging when I found out she'd been lying there all that time."
Colette’s family have been 'overwhelmed' with visits and messages from friends and relatives over the past week – as well as from people they've never met.
One man, from Spalding, contacted Patricia last week to offer his condolences, recalling a time when he met Colette in a doorway in the town and he'd bought her food and a hot drink.
Patricia said: “He said he was sorry to hear about our loss. I’m going, ‘who’s this?’ – just a person passing by and she was sitting in a doorway.
"There was at least somebody good out there looking after her.
"There was somebody there making sure she got a hot cup of tea.”
Colette’s parents say their loved ones have rallied to help them through this difficult time.
After hearing the tragic news, one cousin brought purple orchids to the family home – a nod to Colette’s favourite colour and the tone of her hair.
Her mum said: “She’s got a big, big family up here and they’re all devastated. It’s not just us.
“She’s got cousins that will never see her again, she’s got her two sisters, she’s got her aunties.
“I want their lasting memories to be when they last saw her, the last time they were out together, the last time they heard her singing at karaoke, the last time they heard her laugh – that infectious laugh.
“Just remember the last times, because they are the good times.”
Lincolnshire Police issued a fresh appeal for witnesses yesterday as their investigation continues.
Detective Inspector Adrian Czajkowski, senior investigating officer, said: “We believe there may be people who were in the town who have witnessed something which might help our ongoing investigation, who we have not yet spoken with.
"Any piece of information can prove crucial in an investigation, and we’d rather have as much information as possible.”
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