11/23/2007 10:58:00 AM 'I hope my baby grows up to be just like Rebecca' Mom names newborn in honour of her best friend, raped and murdered 11 years ago
Motherly Love: Jasmine Bumstead cradles baby daughter Abagail, who has been given the middle name Rebecca after Canadian teenager Rebecca Middleton. Jasmine and Rebecca were on vacation in Bermuda when Rebecca was murdered in 1996.
Photo by Sirkka Huish
New mom Jasmine Bumstead has named her baby daughter after murdered Rebecca Middleton to ensure her best friend's memory is never forgotten.
The 30-year-old got to honour the Canadian teenager in the way she always wanted to when she gave birth to her first daughter.
Jasmine proudly gave her daughter the middle name Rebecca in the hope that she will grow up to be just like her "lovely best friend" who was brutally murdered in Bermuda in July 1996.
Jasmine of Ontario gave birth to her third child, Abagail Rebecca Beth-Ann, at 1.04pm on September 19. She weighed 8Ibs 14 oz.
Best friends Jasmine, nee Meens, and Rebecca were holidaying in Bermuda when Rebecca was brutally murdered just six days after her 17th birthday. She was raped and stabbed 35 times before being found semi-naked on an isolated road at Ferry Reach.
Jasmine said her daughter would be a constant reminder of the good times she shared with Rebecca, who was known as Becky.
She said she always wanted a daughter so she could be given the middle name Rebecca as: "Becky was my best friend and a very important part of my life."
Jasmine said: "I always planned to give my daughter the middle name Rebecca. When she gets older I will tell her why I gave her the name. I don't know if I'll tell her what happened, but I will explain to her about all about Becky and what type of lovely person she was.
"I hope Abagail grows up to be just like Rebecca."
Jasmine and husband Todd already have two sons; Kurtis, nine, and Owen, five. Jasmine said she was delighted to discover she was pregnant as she had always wanted two boys and a girl. At first she simply hoped her baby would be a girl, but then she went for an ultrasound as she couldn't wait any longer to find out the sex.
Jasmine said she loved motherhood as it was " great fun." The new mom is currently on maternity leave from her job as a debt collector. She said: "She's such a happy baby and very well-behaved. She doesn't cry unless she wants feeding or wants her diaper changed. She laughs and coos all the time and loves the attention."
Rebecca's parents continue to fight for justice after being disappointed by the outcome of the 1998 court case against Kirk Mundy and Justis Smith. Mundy struck a deal and was charged with being an accessory and got five years. Smith was acquitted due to lack of evidence. Earlier this year the court dismissed an application to have the case re-looked at with a view to pressing different charges against the chief suspects.
Media wary
Jasmine, however, rarely gives media interviews but after "lots of arm twisting" she agreed to be interviewed for a Canadian news programme shortly after giving birth. She was one of several people involved in the ordeal who featured on CTV's W-FIVE, which was shown at the weekend.
Jasmine finds it too painful to visit her father in Bermuda and has not been to the island since 1996.
She said: "What happened is still on my mind. I think about Becky all the time and all the things that we did together."
Jasmine's father Rick Meens, who runs Bermuda Decorative Hardware in Reid Street, is looking forward to meeting his new granddaughter for the first time. He will spend Christmas in Canada with his daughter and family.
He said: "I'm really looking forward to seeing them. The baby looks absolutely beautiful - just like her momma. Jasmine's a very loving, caring mother who is very nurturing. She also has a wonderful husband, I couldn't ask for a nicer son-in-law. They are very happy." He added: "Giving the baby the name Rebecca is a wonderful idea. You have to understand that Becky and Jasmine were best, best friends. And what better way to honour your best friend than naming your child after them?"
Mr. Meens - who affectionately calls his daughter Jas - says her way of coping is not to talk about the murder.
He said: "It's extremely rare for her to do interviews, she doesn't want all that. And she doesn't want to come back to Bermuda.
"She just wants to get on with life and as a father it's my job to protect her."
Jasmine's daughter is not the first baby to be named after the murdered Canadian teenager. Dana Rawlins, who found Rebecca at Ferry Reach, named his daughter Becky.
