The funeral of one of the alleged victims of the "Crossbow Cannibal" murders took place on Wednesday with the remains of the tragic vice girl arriving at the church in a child's coffin.

Over 300 mourners fell silent as a horse drawn hearse carried the tiny coffin of Shelley-Marie Armitage through the grey drizzle to a requiem mass.

A known prostitute in Bradford, West Yorks., Shelley, 31, was heavily in the spotlight this year when her remains were discovered by police search teams in the River Aire in June.

But the 2ft 6in light wood coffin - carried into the service by her devastated brother Carl Armitage and out again by boyfriend Craig Preston - served as a grim reminder to the sparseness of her remains.

Along with Suzanne Blamires and Susan Rushworth she is one of three victims that Stephen Griffiths has been charged with murdering.

Stephen Griffiths, 40, who gave his name as the "Crossbow Cannibal" at his first court appearance, will appear at court on October 15 charged with the murders of the three sex workers.