On 27 March 2014, Sophie Collombet, a 21-year-old French student, was raped and killed in Kurilpa Point Park in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. She had been walking home from an evening lecture at Griffith University, where she was studying for a Master of Business.
Her body was found in the park the following morning. The case drew public criticism of the safety of the park, which sits along the Brisbane River within the city's cultural precinct, and prompted calls for better lighting and patrols after earlier reports of crime there.
On 7 April 2014, Benjamin James Milward, from Ipswich, Queensland, was arrested and charged with Collombet's murder and rape. Milward had been living at a nearby hostel and had failed to return by curfew on the night of the killing. On 25 October 2016, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and rape at the Supreme Court of Queensland.
The killing prompted significant public reaction in Brisbane. On 10 April 2014, more than 2,000 people took part in a march and candlelight vigil in Collombet's memory, from King George Square to Kurilpa Point Park, with organisers saying the event aimed to show that Brisbane cares about violence against women. Collombet was buried in her hometown of Saint-Julien-Mont-Denis in south-eastern France, where around 1,200 people took part in her funeral procession.
In March 2014, 21-year-old French exchange student Sophie Collombet was raped and beaten to death in Kurilpa Point Park in Brisbane, Australia. Benjamin James Milward was convicted of her murder and rape and sentenced to life in prison in 2016.
Where did the murder happen?
Kurilpa Point Park, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Who was convicted?
Benjamin James Milward (Convicted of the murder and rape of Sophie Collombet; sentenced to life imprisonment on 25 October 2016).
