FRIENDS and family were in mourning following the announcement that former student of Haberdashers' Aske's Boys School Mark Lindgren had died at the hands of Rwandan rebels this week.

Mark Lindgren, 24, was one of eight western tourists taken hostage during a gorilla safari in Uganda.

The news of his death emerged late on Tuesday evening.

Mr Lindgren, who was a graduate of Nottingham University, was just two weeks into a three-month tour of Africa when the murder took place.

At the family home in Battlefield Road, St Albans, Mark's parents Ann and John were being comforted by friends and protected from the glare of the media spotlight.

The Bishop of St Albans, the Right Rev Christopher Herbert, said: "Our hearts go out to all the family.

"I have written to them to assure them of the prayers of the church and the diocese, because this is an absolutely appalling tragedy."

On Wednesday at Haberdashers' Aske's School in Aldenham Road, Elstree, staff, who remember Mark as a gentle, modest young man with a happy smile, gathered to pay tribute to their former pupil.

Pupils observed a minute's silence in special assemblies while Haberdashers' old boys, who were friends of Mark, telephoned staff to share their grief.

Mark joined the top private boys' school at 13, and during his time at Haberdashers' represented the school in a host of sporting roles.

He played the clarinet in the orchestra, helped bring home a cricket cup for the school and achieved outstanding examination results.

Headteacher Mr Jeremy Goulding said Wednesday was "a day of deep sadness" for the school.

He said: "Our hearts go out to Mark's family.

"Despite all his achievements and his many skills, Mark remained an unassuming and modest young man with a delightfully dry sense of humour and a happy smile."

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