'Murder bridge had faulty lighting'

Lights on the bridge where British backpacker Caroline Stuttle died were not working, a court in Australia heard today.

Local council worker Antony Kimber said three out of seven lights had been smashed near the spot where Caroline, 19, was allegedly thrown from Burnett River Bridge in Bundaberg, Queensland.

He added: "I had put in a report on the morning of April 10 2002 suggesting the lighting was improved because of vandalism."

Several witnesses said they heard screams that night but could not see anything. John Cahill, who lived by the bridge, said: "It was high-pitched and definitely a woman's." He went to investigate but could not see anything.

Katrina Dickens, 26, who was fishing in the river, said: "I heard an argument with a man's voice and a woman's screams. It was terrifying and then it just stopped." She also looked around but it was too dark.

Policeman Gavin Peachey said his sniffer dog picked up a male scent near where Caroline's flipflops were found by her body. The trail led back up the slope to the bridge and the railings.

Ian Douglas Previte, 32, a drug addict and drifter, pleads not guilty to robbery and murder.

The trial continues.