Bodies are finally laid to rest in a shared grave covered in toys and flowers

Mourners place wreaths at the grave

THE bodies of Somers Town mother and daughter Nicole Batten and Ukleigha Batten-Froggatt – found killed at their home in March – were finally laid to rest in a moving two-hour service on Friday.
Nearly three months after their bodies were discovered at the Ossulston Street flat, Nicole, 33, and Ukleigha, six, were buried in a shared grave covered in toys and flowers in Mitcham, south London.
More than 250 mourners, including 100 friends and neighbours from Somers Town, travelled to Balham, where Nicole grew up.
Listening to Nicole’s favourite reggae records on the coach journey to south London, they shared stories of the incredible bond between mother and daughter.
Her brother, Jason, delivering a eulogy at Balham Baptist Church, said: “It’s hard to find any understanding when something like this happens.
“But if you look at the card which is by the altar, it shows an alligator and it says: ‘See you later, alligator!’, and I think that says it all.
“You should smile, be happy and dance every day, because that’s what my sister did.”
Margo McDad, Ukleigha’s teacher at Winton School in King’s Cross, said: “Ukleigha was the kindest, kindest child I have met in my life. Everything she did was for other people and, by all accounts, she got that from her mother.
“One of the boys in her class, Alvin, wrote a card which said: ‘I did not know Ukleigha’s mum but she must have been a beautiful person’.”
The Reverend Stephen Rouse, leading the service, said: “The cruel act that has taken Nicole and Ukleigha from us has tested us as well.
“We learn just how fragile our lives are and we consider how curiously we spend the days of our life.”
Friends Paulette Tajar and Donna Marie sang solo tributes before the service moved to London Road Cemetery, where mourners picked up shovels and helped bury Nicole and Ukleigha in the midday sun.
Ukleigha’s young sisters, Siorcha, Jade and Shinnaine, looked on as the little girl’s rainbow-painted coffin was laid on top of her mother’s.
The sisters then left flowers and floral tributes on top of the grave as friends sang hymns.
A wake at Balham Sports and Social Club followed the funeral.
Mark Nicholas, 29, is accused of murdering Nicole and Ukleigha. He faces an Old Bailey trial later this year.