Killing sparks 'safer web' call

Andrea Hall said her daughter had 400 friends on Facebook

The mother of a 17-year-girl found dead after apparently meeting a man on the internet has called for tighter controls on social networking sites.

Ashleigh Hall was discovered in a field in County Durham on Monday after she claimed she was staying with a friend.

Andrea Hall, 39, from Darlington, said checks to prevent the creation of false online identities should be introduced.

Peter Chapman, 32, of no fixed address, has appeared in court charged with manslaughter and kidnap.

Ashleigh, of Warwick Square, Darlington, was found in a farmer's field close to the Little Chef roundabout, off the A689 and A177 roads, near Sedgefield.

Post-mortem tests to establish a cause of death were inconclusive.

Ms Hall said: "The people who run Facebook and other social networking sites do have some responsibility for bringing in these controls.

"Everybody knows that the internet can be a dangerous place. We trusted Facebook and she was always told never to add a stranger as a friend.

Ashleigh was last seen alive on Sunday night

"I brought her up not to talk to strangers and that applied to the internet as well.

"She said she would never add a stranger as a friend on Facebook.

"She had about 400 friends on Facebook but she knew every single one of them.

"We can't imagine how she got to be friends with someone she didn't know."

Ashleigh, who was studying to be a nursery nurse, had three younger siblings - Olivia, six, Ellie, four, and one-year-old Evie.

Her mother has also spoken of the last time she saw her daughter.

She said: "I was upstairs putting the young ones to bed. Ashleigh opened the door and shouted: 'See you tomorrow mum'.

"I shouted to her to make sure she was home by 10.30. She said 'I will' and that was it.

"I never saw her again."

Mr Chapman has also been charged with failing to notify police of a new address, as he must under the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

He is due to appear at Teesside Crown Court on 3 November.