Family of Swanley murder victim Natalie Jarvis still want answers after Adam Whelehan found guilty

The 23-year-old was stabbed more than 20 times by her boyfriend Adam Whelehan on October 3 last year.

Yesterday (April 24) at Maidstone Crown Court the former BT engineer was found guilty of her murder, while co-accused Tom Fuller, the “getaway driver” who hid in the boot of the car as they drove to Swanley Village and Whelehan killed her, was acquitted.

Her mum Adele, 50, dad Mark, 49, and 27-year-old sister Gemma, who all lived together with Natalie in Walnut Way, Swanley, said in a joint statement to News Shopper: “Natalie was the most amazing person anyone could wish to meet.

“She was beautiful inside and out.

“Her smile and laughter was infectious and the love she had for life, and everyone in her life, was overwhelming.

“She cared for everyone and always wanted everyone to be happy, smiling and enjoying life to the full just as she did.

“She always tried to see the good in everyone. She gave people repeat chances over and over again when most would have given up at two chances at best.

“Our family have been horrifically ripped apart by the loss of the most loving sister and daughter anyone could ask for.

"Our home and lives are now a void of crushing silence without Natalie’s insatiable lust for life.

'Our lives will never be the same again'

“Our hearts have been shattered and can never be mended. Our lives will never be the same again without our sweet beautiful Natalie.”

Natalie would have been celebrating her 24th birthday on Sunday (April 28). Instead her cherished ashes are kept in a tear-shaped urn in the family’s living room.

She went to Swanley Secondary School before studying IT at West Kent College. For the last seven years she worked at McDonald’s on the A20 Swanley Bypass.

Over the course of the three-week trial the court heard how Whelehan repeatedly told friends he wanted to kill Natalie because she told him she was pregnant.

Speaking exclusively to News Shopper, Mrs Jarvis says the family still have a lot of unanswered questions – despite sitting through every hour of the case which she described as “hell on earth”.

She said: “Part of grieving is knowing why someone has been killed. We don’t know why Natalie’s been killed.

“You don’t kill someone because they’re pregnant.

“We still don’t know after sitting through the whole of this trial, I can’t tell you why my daughter was murdered.

”I can’t understand why he wanted to kill her.

“These other people who were involved: why on earth didn’t they tell her ‘Adam wanted to kill you’?

“She would have left him alone, she would have wanted nothing to do with him.”

Mrs Jarvis said the last time she saw Natalie she was laughing and smiling as she waited for Whelehan to pick her up from her home.

“They were going to the cinema to see Taken 2 the next night. She had a shower and joked about with us for a bit,” she said.

“She was in her pyjamas and Chelsea (Scrace) walked her to the car.”

At 11.15pm Natalie was found on the side of Swanley Village Road and was pronounced dead 15 minutes later despite the paramedics’ best efforts.

Unaware of what happened, the following morning the Jarvis family all tried contacting Natalie after her mum woke up about 6.20am to find her bedroom empty.

She called the police to report Natalie hadn’t come home, and then at about 7.30am a policeman arrived at the door.

Mrs Jarvis said: “He told us to sit down, I was opening the blinds telling him to sit down and then he told us they had found Natalie’s body.

'She's been murdered'

“I asked has she been in an accident, he told us no ‘she’s been murdered’ and Adam Whelehan had handed himself in.

“Mark kicked the sofa, I was in shock, we were all in shock.

“I didn’t cry straight away but I shouted at him, ‘how dare you come into my house and tell me my daughter’s dead when you’ve never set eyes on her. You don’t know what she looks like.’”

Hundreds packed out Eltham Crematorium for Natalie’s funeral on November 19.

Mrs Jarvis said: “We were unable to dress Natalie in her favourite clothes because of her devastating injuries. The funeral directors had to dress her in a white shroud. She still looked beautiful.

“She looked like an angel without wings. We were able to see her but it broke our heart that we couldn’t hold her. We could only just hold her hands and face.”

Breaking down in tears Mrs Jarvis said: “She was just so lovely, she was loveable, she was loud, she was everything to us, she was my baby.

“I just can’t see my life without her.

“We’re all so lost with her. She wasn’t an angel, she was just normal. Everybody loved her and she loved them.

“She loved us, and we loved her. The only thing I’m grateful for when she left this world is that she knew that.

“What he (Whelehan) has done is horrific. He hasn’t shown one ounce of remorse.”

'She wasn't just my sister, she was my best friend'

Natalie’s sister Gemma said “she wasn’t just my sister. She was my best friend."

“Natalie and I were extremely close as there was only four years between us.

“When I realised I was gay I went to Natalie for advice and her initial reaction was she would tell my mum and dad with me. And everything would be OK, and it was.

“We partied together and enjoyed spending time together.

“We confided in each other as sisters do.

“I feel lost without her and I do not know what to do. I miss her so much.”

The family added in a statement: “Everyone who came into contact with our Natalie will always remember the fun she brought to everyone and everything she did in our lives.

"The silence is crushing and she is missed more than words can say.”