The best friend of a Tayport teenager murdered by a high-risk sex offender has paid emotional tribute, expressing sadness that she never got the chance to experience life.
Debbie Bayne, 37, said her best friend Karen Dewar had “missed out on so much” since her life was cut short 20 years ago.
But she takes comfort from arranging to have a star in the night sky named after her.
The mother-of-six also revealed she’s named the youngest of her daughters, Inaya Karen, in her memory.
“I think about Karen every day, ” said Debbie in an exclusive interview with The Courier.
“But I’m saddened that she never got the chance to experience life.”
Karen Dewar, 16, was murdered on January 20 2005 at the hands of 17-year-old Colyn Evans, who turned out to be a high-risk sex offender.
He was later sentenced to detention for life, with the condition he serve at least 17 years.
Karen’s mum Allison has said it would be “unthinkable” if he was ever released from his prison down south.
How is the 20th anniversary of Karen Dewar’s being murder marked in Tayport?
On Saturday afternoon, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Karen’s death, family, friends and members of the community held a remembrance service at the Karen Dewar memorial garden in Tayport.
Karen’s mum, along with other family, friends and local well-wishers, were among the dozens in attendance.
The ceremony involved some of Karen’s friends and many young children releasing balloons.
The balloons were Karen’s favourite colour, lilac.
‘We’d known each other since we were babies’, says Karen Dewar’s best friend
Speaking to The Courier at the ceremony, Debbie, who was a year above Karen at Tayport Primary School and Madras College, shared fond memories of their time together.
“I was a year older than Karen at school, but we were best friends,” she said.
“We’d known each other since we were babies.
“We went on holidays together, fought over boyfriends, had our first cigarette together – sneaky things. Had sleepovers, birthday parties. We did everything together.”
Debbie said she’d decided to have a star named after Karen because it was a “nice way to remember her”. She often gazes at the night sky and thinks of her best friend.
Yet she feels “very sad” when she reflects on the significance of the 20th anniversary.
“I think Karen would be doing pretty well in life if she was here today,” said Debbie, whose eldest daughter is now 16 – the age Karen was when she was murdered.
“I think she would be very career focussed. I think she’d probably be married with kids. She was always the more sensible one. Always had her head screwed on. Always made the right choices.
“But she’s missed out on all that.
“When I think back to being 17, before I had kids, I thought I knew everything. I thought I was grown up.
“But Karen never even got to drive a car or experience life. It just makes me really really sad.”
Karen Dewar’s mum thanks Tayport community ‘from bottom of heart’
Karen’s memorial garden opened in January 2008 following a fundraising campaign that raised more than £50,000.
The garden was developed by students at Elmwood College in Cupar, where Karen was studying childcare.
It features a sculpture by Newburgh artist Gail van Heerden entitled Free Spirit and many lilac plants. Events on Saturday included the formal unveiling of a lilac plaque.
Leading the commemorative address, Allison Dewar 60, who sat down for an interview with The Courier ahead of Saturday, thanked everyone for their attendance and support.
“The list is too long to name everybody,” she said.
“But without you all, Karen’s memory would not be what it is today.
“I would like to say thank you from the bottom of my heart that we appreciate everything that’s been done for us in Karen’s memory.”
Tayport minister gives thanks for Karen Dewar’s ‘vivacious spirit’
Rev Jonathan Humphrey, the new minister for Leuchars Tayport church, also spoke.
A former minister at Ardler in Dundee who has only been in the Tayport area for seven months, he said he’d only learned about the tragic events of Karen’s death 20 years ago in the past week.
Conscious that he hadn’t shared the “journey of grief” experienced by the family, friends and community, he said it was a “great honour and very humbling” to be invited by Allison to say a few words.
Rev Humphrey started with a reading from the Old Testament of the Bible.
He continued: “We are here today to remember Karen. And although I didn’t know her, Allison tells me that she was unique, full of life, a great spirit, vivacious, kind, true to her words, a wonderful daughter and friend.
“We are here to give thanks for that life. Still much loved and sorely missed, Karen was one of God’s great gifts to us all.
“But as we remember Karen, we are also reminded that this world is not perfect. There is evil, there’s illness, there’s pain, there’s loss and suffering.
“But it was into this world that Jesus the son of God came, leaving his throne in heaven, becoming one of us, a human being.”
Gasps of delight as balloons released
Children went around giving out sweets, ahead of the speeches, bought in advance by Allison Dewar to reflect a positive family-friendly feel amid the sadness.
When the balloons were released, there were gasps of delight from the youngsters as they drifted skyward.
After the speeches and balloon release, family and friends walked the short distance down to Cobbies Inn, near Tayport Harbour, to share some private time together.
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