A knife to the heart

Shannon Beattie, 24, Perth

Music pulsed as I scanned the party for familiar faces.

‘Hi, can I get you a drink?’ asked a voice behind me.

It was a guy with blue twinkly eyes, a cheeky grin.

‘Wine, please,’ I smiled. As he handed me a glass, he winked.

‘I’m Robbie,’ he said.

‘I know,’ I replied.

Robbie Smullen had a reputation as a local bad boy. I knew he’d been in trouble with the law before.

But now, as Robbie chatted to me, he made me feel like the only girl in the world.

I was 19 and Robbie, then 18, was a charmer, topping up my drink, joking.