What happened to murdered Plymouth teenager Bobbi-Anne McLeod?

Bobbi-Anne McLeod’s family have paid tribute to the beloved teenager as the man who brutally murdered her faces a life sentence.

Cody Ackland, 24, previously admitted to Miss McLeod’s murder at a hearing last month.

Bobbi-Anne McLeod’s parents, Adrian and Donna, and brother Lee said they had been robbed of a “beautiful girl” and their life would never be the same again.

Ackland was obsessed with serial killers and Ted Bundy in particular.

On November 20 Miss McLeod left her home in Leighham at about 5.45pm to see her boyfriend.

She told her father that she loved him and went to the nearby bus stop on Bampton Road. She was spotted there between 6.05pm and 6.15pm looking up the street in search of the bus.

But Ackland was driving his car and was about to drive through Leigham. The phone records put him in the same place as Miss McLeod at around 6.55pm.

At 7:15 pm, her family had not heard from her and they began to worry.

Meanwhile, at the bus stop, a man tripped over Miss McLeod’s cell phone and AirPods case; He gave it to the bus driver, who arrived at 7:23 p.m., but it was assumed someone had lost it.

At 9 p.m., Miss McLeod’s friend called the family home and asked if she was still there. Her family called friends and went looking for her. Concerns spread on social media, and the next day members of the community joined the search.

A schoolboy who saw Miss McLeod waiting for the bus the night before found her AirPods on a path behind the bus stop on Sunday morning.

Her body was found three days later near Bovisand beach.

Police said there was “no known connection” between Miss McLeod and Ackland.

A candlelight vigil was also held at the spot where the teenager was last seen alive.

Plymouth Crown Court heard Ackland attack her as she waited for the bus.

He then loaded the semi-conscious teenager into the footwell of his Ford Fiesta and drove her 20 miles to Bellever Forest car park on Dartmoor, where he killed her with a hammer like Bundy.

In his confession to police, he claimed Ms McLeod was still able to walk, although he had to support her when they arrived and told him “I’m scared”.

He claimed he replied, “Me too, I’ve never done it.”

Ackland then hit her in the head and face 12 times with the mallet before standing on her neck when he saw that she was still breathing.

Ackland burned her purse and loaded her body in his trunk and drove 30 miles back towards Plymouth to Bovisand where he stripped her naked and left her in the undergrowth.

Three days later, Ackland turned himself in and confessed to detectives where he had dumped her body.

The McLeod family said the student’s final hours were spent being tortured by Ted Bundy-obsessed Cody Ackland.

“We want him to know that he took our world away,” they said.

“Our lives have changed forever. We haven’t been able to say goodbye to Bobbi-Anne yet and can only imagine what he has done to her – the thoughts are constantly circling in our heads.

“Why Bobbi Anne? Why let them suffer? Knowing that she spent her final hours being tortured breaks us inside.

“Bobbi-Anne was so loved and had so many plans for life; he has cruelly torn this life from her and from us.

“We can’t even think of a future without her. There will never be anything the justice system can enforce that will ever come close to what he deserves.”

They added: “Bobbi was a beautiful girl who lit up our lives and the lives of everyone she met. She was kind, funny and loyal.

“She was the best daughter, best sister and best friend to so many people. Everyone who knew Bobbi loved her.

“We have been robbed of our beautiful girl in the worst possible way and our lives will never be the same without her.

“We will never see her beautiful face or hear her laugh, see her get married or have the children she so desperately wanted. So many everyday things have been taken away. That she is not here is still inconceivable.”

Judge Robert Linford told Ackland as he sentenced him to life in prison with a minimum of 31 years: “On November 20 of last year, you subjected Bobbi-Anne McLeod to a prolonged, brutal and merciless assault.”

He continued, “She was a young, popular and loved person, you caused outrage and fear in this part of the country and for good reason, it was completely unfounded.”

Judge Lindford told Ackland he would remain a “highly dangerous person” indefinitely, adding, “There is a strong possibility that you will never be released from prison.”

Ackland looked at the judge as he spoke and nodded as his verdict was rendered.

Alison Hernandez, the police and crime commissioner for Devon and Cornwall, said she hopes Cody Ackland will never be released from prison for murdering Bobbi-Anne McLeod.

“This case illustrates the best and the worst in humanity. The worst thing in a killer who was so incredibly cruel to his victim, and the finest in the Plymouth community to express an outpouring of sorrow and support for Bobbi-Anne’s family,” she said.

“I hope her loved ones and the community find some comfort in the fact that he is incarcerated and that the police have investigated this case with professionalism and compassion, although nothing will mitigate the devastation caused by the loss of Bobbi-Anne, a dear loved one young woman, entails woman.

“This case has touched the hearts of people across the country. No sane person could ever fathom the deeds of this killer and I hope for public safety and peace of mind that he will never be released.”