Shock as model knifed to death by boyfriend

FRIENDS of a former Edinburgh model have told of their shock after she was stabbed to death by her boyfriend before he took his own life.

Sammi Hewitt, who lived in Stockbridge until around 18 months ago, was found dead with multiple stab wounds at the home of her boyfriend, Kuol Piom, 29, in Hobart, Tasmania. Detectives believe the 24-year-old was killed after a row.

Ms Hewitt, a native Tasmanian, had lived in the Capital with her former husband and had modelling assignments working on a number of advertising campaigns, including one for lingerie boutique Boudiche, on Frederick Street.

Ms Hewitt, who moved to Edinburgh after high school to launch a modelling and singing career, had returned to Tasmania and enrolled to study journalism at the University of Tasmania, where she met Piom.

Police believe Ms Hewitt and Piom had been arguing about the status of their relationship.

The disagreement turned violent when Ms Hewitt visited Piom on Monday, and Ms Hewitt's mother contacted police at around 9.45pm when her daughter did not respond to phone calls. Detectives found the bodies at around 11pm.

Barrie Spence, 44, a photographer who worked with Ms Hewitt in 2009, said: "It was such a shock to hear what had happened. She was just full of life. She was lovely."

Scottie Brannan, one of the owners of Superior Model Management, who had Ms Hewitt on the firm's books while she lived in Edinburgh, said: "We're absolutely devastated by this news.

"Sammi was a very beautiful girl who had such a big and warm personality.

"She was someone with a lot of drive to be successful. She was with us for about a year and always gave her all. It's a tragedy that she is gone at 24."

Her friend Leo Perkins added: "The world has lost a person who had a lot of potential. She was the sort of person who, if you told her she couldn't do something, she'd look at it as a challenge."

Ms Hewitt, who had modelled from the age of 18, was at the centre of a row in Edinburgh in July 2009 when she posed as a nun tempted into a kiss with a priest in an advertisement for ice cream.

Ms Hewitt told the Evening News that the advert, banned by the Advertising Standards Authority, was meant to be fun and called on objectors to "get a sense of humour".Ms Hewitt was also well-known as a flute and piccolo player in orchestras and worked with a string of photographers and agencies in Edinburgh and Glasgow during her stint in Scotland.

In a screen reel showcasing her talent, she said: "In the future I plan to keep busy with all the things I've spoken about, to travel more and appreciate the world in which we live, and make the absolute most out of my life while I'm here."

Inspector Peter Powell said police found Piom's body at the rear of the rented house, where he had committed suicide.

Inside, furniture was in disarray and several items were broken, suggesting that there had been a struggle.

Insp Powell said Ms Hewitt was found on the floor with several stab wounds to her abdomen and her hands, which indicated she had tried to defend herself.