Sophie's Legacy by Lesley Elliott with William J O'Brien

A mother's story of her family's loss and their quest for change. By Lesley Elliott with William J O'Brien Sophie Elliott had everything to live for - good looks, intelligence, friends, a loving family, a degree under her belt and a new job at the Treasury in Wellington. And then, the day before she left Dunedin to take up that job, she was brutally stabbed to death in her own home by her former boyfriend, Clayton Weatherston. Weatherston was much older and one of her tutors at the University of Otago. When the public came to take his measure at his high-profile trial in 2009, his narcissistic and manipulative personality stunned the nation. Sophie's mother, Lesley, has weathered the horror of her daughter's death, and the gruelling process of a difficult trial, to set up a foundation to help young women identify relationships that put them in harm's way - as Sophie's did, unbeknownst to her and her family - and encourage them to seek help.

This book is Lesley's tribute to a daughter she adored, her harrowing account of a tradedy no family should ever have to endure, and her inspiring decision to make sure that Sophie's legacy lives on. It's also the Elliott family's challenge to the justice system on behalf of victims.

Paperback, 2011, 263pages, very good condition