Murdered teenager captured on CCTV footage

Detectives investigating the murder of pregnant teenager Amy Williams have revealed they are studying closed-circuit television footage from the night she was last seen in an effort to piece together her final movements.

The 14-year-old was discovered strangled and almost naked in a churchyard in Telford, Shropshire, at around 9am on Monday after disappearing the previous evening, Boxing Day night.

She was last seen leaving a family party near her home in the Sutton Hill area of the town at 9pm, and the police are now attempting to fill what they describe as "the black hole" between then and the discovery of her body. The CCTV film, which shows the teenager appearing unharmed close to 10.30pm, could provide crucial evidence, according to Detective Chief Inspector Dave Morgan of West Mercia police.

But he renewed his call for witnesses to come forward and for help in the search for clues: "This CCTV is very helpful to us as it gives us vital information about Amy's movements on Boxing Day evening. However, we remain extremely keen to get more information and we would repeat our appeals for people who may be able to help us to come forward."

Amy was stripped of her pink cotton tracksuit and white Kappa trainers when her body was discovered at St Michael's Church in Madeley. The clothes, and a set of house keys to the family home, are still missing. A 27-year-old Telford man arrested on suspicion of murder on Thursday remained in police custody last night.

Yesterday Amy's mother, Jane Chattell, 39, issued a written tribute to her daughter, saying: "She enjoyed all the things that teenage girls enjoy. She had many friends who she enjoyed spending time with. She loved all her friends and family. She was kind, warm-hearted and full of fun.

"She was always great company to be around and she made me smile if I felt down. She was my best friend as well as a wonderful daughter. She was a massive part of my life which I have sadly lost and which cannot be replaced. A part of my future has been lost but it is some comfort that I still have loving memories of Amy. She will be sadly missed."

Elsewhere, police have mounted a series of investigations after violence which left two men dead and several injured over the New Year holiday. There were three shootings in London, including one fatality in Lambeth where police found a man alone in a car suffering from gunshot wounds. He died within 30 minutes. Detectives from Operation Trident, which tackles gun crime among London's black community, are appealing for witnesses.

In Pentraeth Old Colwyn on the north Wales coast a man died of stab wounds yesterday, and another was taken to hospital after a disturbance in the early hours. Both men are thought to be in their 20s.