A Leeds Beckett student died after being stabbed on holiday in Amsterdam.
Danny Castledine, from Nottinghamshire, "loved his holidays" and the Netherlands city was always somewhere he wanted to go. But, tragically, he was stabbed repeatedly in the neck on June 1 in an Amsterdam canal.
The 22-year-old McDonald's worker sadly died a short while later. A 22-year-old Belgian man was arrested the same day on suspicion of manslaughter.
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Opening an inquest into Mr Castledine’s death at Nottingham Council House on Friday, July 29, coroner Mairin Casey said Danny was formally identified on June 11 by his parents Alison and Paul Castledine. "A post mortem has been carried out which found a provisional cause of death of 1a) multiple stab wounds," she said.
The accused was remanded in custody before a preliminary hearing was held on August 26. He will appear in court this November.
Danny was described by his heartbroken family as someone who loved going on holidays, having travelled 23 countries in his lifetime. Friends said he would "light up a room", and had a dream of working to promote music festivals.
Danny was in his final year at Leeds Beckett University studying events management before his death. He also had a passion for fashion design, clothes, and travel.
His mum and dad, Alison and Paul, his sister Chloe, told Nottinghamshire Live: "Danny had a long list of places that he wanted to visit in the future. One of those was to the Bahamas to swim with pigs. His ambition was to work on and promote music festivals as a career, and probably live abroad."
The family said: "He would be out with his schooldays friends, and fitting in shifts at McDonalds to fund his extravagant lifestyle. He also had a major passion for fashion, and thought nothing of spending large on designer gear, from t-shirts to trainers."
Danny's family and friends are now fundraising to highlight and tackle knife crime. A fundraising page has been set up by Ashleigh Hufton, Danny's ex-girlfriend.The initial target of £2,400 was achieved within four hours.
The target has now raised to £15,000 and is currently at £14,585. Michael Hagan, head of travel law at Fletchers Group, who are supporting the family in the UK, said: ‘"The family want to create a legacy for Danny and to this end have set up a fundraising page in his memory.
"Incidents like this really are the stuff of nightmares. Danny was a caring and kind young man with his whole life ahead of him. He was killed in an act of senseless and brutal violence and his tragic loss is something that his loving parents, sister and family will now have to bear for the rest of their lives."
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