A FRIEND of murdered Southampton student Hannah Foster today paid a poignant tribute to the teenager's brilliant mind and caring nature.

Leanne Murdoch, 18, said the gifted A-level student - who was kidnapped just yards from her Portswood home - had been an inspiration to classmates with her positive attitude and quiet determination to succeed.

She described how Hannah, 17, was an intensely caring girl who always made time for school-friends and tried to cheer them up if they were unhappy. And she painted a picture of a slight, fragile girl who amazed fellow pupils with her intelligence but was too modest to admit how clever she was.

Hannah, of Grosvenor Road, had visited pubs in Bevois Valley with friends on Friday March 14 before disappearing on the five-minute walk home.

Detectives launched a murder hunt after her body was found in undergrowth on a country lane near West End two days later. She had been strangled.

Today Leanne, who attended Cantell School in Bassett with Hannah, said it was horrifying that someone so precious had been taken away.

The Customs and Excise worker, of Swaythling, Southampton, said she had been devastated when told of her friend's death.

She said: "Of all the people in this world, Hannah deserved it least. She was so precious and fragile and would never have hurt a fly. She never held a grudge and never had a bad word to say about anyone. Hannah was very plucky and determined and was mentally very tough and solid - there's no way she would have left this world without a fight."

Leanne added: "It's so sad because she had everything planned. Her future was all laid out before her and now it's been taken away. Hannah always said she wanted to follow in her mum's footsteps, who was a nurse, but get the qualifications to be a doctor. She was so intelligent. I never knew anyone who loved schoolwork so much."

Said Leanne: "Hannah was into rock bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers. She was very into peace and would have been absolutely appalled by the war in the Gulf.

"If she ever thought you were having a bad day she would try to brighten you up.

She added: "I just don't understand why someone has done this to Hannah. It doesn't make any sense at all. It's been heartbreaking. I hope they catch whoever did this and bang him up for life."

Leanne spoke out as murder squad detectives working on Operation Springfield, the hunt for Hannah's killer, prepared to take part in a nationwide television appeal.

A reconstruction of the student's last known movements has been filmed in Southampton and will be screened as part of an appeal on the BBC's Crimewatch UK show tomorrow evening.

Police are hoping the film could be the one thing that helps jog a vital witness memory and persuades them to contact police.

A squad of more than 100 police officers drafted in from across Southampton is continuing the hunt for Hannah's killer.

Detectives have confirmed the teenager, who was studying at Barton Peveril College in Eastleigh, made a 999 call at 11pm on the night of her disappearance. Police have appealed for information about two Asian man seen in a dark car near her home around that time.

Call the Operation Springfield incident room on 0845 045 4545 or the anonymous Crimestoppers line 0800 555 111.