Fifteen-year-old Sarah Gaecke died in a car crash on the Friday before Christmas - just three days after her birthday.The Holywells High pupil had been on her way back to Ipswich after going with two friends to Felixstowe to put a friend's horse away for the night.

Fifteen-year-old Sarah Gaecke died in a car crash on the Friday before Christmas - just three days after her birthday.

The Holywells High pupil had been on her way back to Ipswich after going with two friends to Felixstowe to put a friend's horse away for the night.

Sarah was born at RAF Lakenheath, where her American father Chris Gaecke, 41, was based before being posted back to the US.

When she was three the family moved to California, where they lived for six years. They then moved to Arizona but Sarah's parents separated about six years ago, with her mother returning to Ipswich.

The music-loving teen stayed with her father and brother Aaron, 13, but regularly visited her mother in Ipswich and about a year ago made the decision to live here permanently at the family's home in Nacton Road.

Her mum Vici paid tribute to her saying: “Sarah was a joy. She had been through some rough times but the last few weeks she was at peace with her life.

“She was a lovely young woman.”

Ms Gaecke said Sarah was a wonderful sister to her siblings; Aaron, 14-month-old sister Isabelle and five-year-old brother Jacob, who has severe physical disabilities, including cerebral palsy.

“Sarah adored all of them. She was fantastic with kids. She was a second carer to Jacob. Sarah managed to care for her brother and also have a social life.

“Because of Sarah there's a lot of people who now understand more about disabled children,” she said.

You can pay your own tributes to Sarah below.