At any level of society, the killing of an elderly cleric by a teenager would raise questions as to the depths to which Britain has sunk.

What makes this unimaginable act of murder yet more shocking is that Christopher Hunnisett was the product of a stable, caring household with every opportunity to mature into a well-adjusted adult.

Sensitive, intelligent, imaginative, shy: He is the opposite of the tearaway teenagers in the newspapers.

Born in Hastings on October 4, 1983, Hunnisett grew up on a council estate in the Hollington area of St Leonards, spending free time in his early years with the local Cub Scout group.

A dark, angular boy, he grew up to be something of a sportsman.

He enjoyed adventure sports, such as kayaking, canoeing and inline skating.

He became friendly with Groves while both were pupils at Grove School.

Teachers there described Hunnisett as being extremely immature and the occasional focus of bullies but neither he nor Groves were known trouble-makers and neither had criminal records.

And both shunned hard drugs and alcohol. A furtive cigarette or the occasional bottle of alcopops or extra strength lager was as far as their lawlessness stretched.

In fact, Hunnisett was fit and active. He was a committed Christian with ambitions of joining the Royal Navy.

It was sailing that stirred him, a passion he shared with Mr Glazebrook and which was the catalyst for their initial friendship.

They would spend hours together refurbishing the vicar's 20ft boat, which was moored at Newhaven.

And, weather permitting, they would go sailing together including a four-day trip to the Isle of Wight in summer 2000.

The jaunt was a treat for Hunnisett, who weeks before had finished taking his GCSE exams in 11 subjects.

A member of Christ Church since the age of ten, Hunnisett had regular contact with Mr Glazebrook who would take services there.

His family said Hunnisett seemed to enjoy his time at the church, where he became one of the youngest servers, helping out during services.

Father Richard Harper, rector of Christ Church who had known Hunnisett for seven years, said: "He was a pleasant teenager, a normal guy."

When he was 15 he started helping the reverend with odd jobs, like gardening and walking his dog, Jonty.

With his GCSE exams looming in summer 2000, Hunnisett moved into a spare room at Mr Glazebrook's flat.

It was felt by everyone the move would give him independence and help him revise away from his younger sister and his brother, with whom he shared a bunk bed.

But, chiefly, the move was to escape the growing conflict between him and his non-religious parents, Andrew and Diana.

Hunnisett moved in around the time of his 16th birthday, in October 1999.

Concerns soon surfaced as, for some reason, he began to take advantage of his benefactor.

Hunnisett would remove lightbulbs from the flat to confuse the reverend, spray deodorant over him and flash cameras at him.

At other times he would lock him in his room for hours, bring home friends uninvited and play loud music into the early hours.

On occasion, Hunnisett would throw things such as tennis balls at Mr Glazebrook.

The reverend, normally one for letting things lie, finally expressed his fears about Hunnisett's increasingly unreasonable behaviour in a letter to his parents.

Following his killing, the unsent letter was found, outlining the many problems he was having with the teenager.

Hunnisett had been the focus of bullies, both at school and at Sea Cadets.

His peers say he was quiet, introverted and would accept the bullying with nothing more than a slight nod.

Others felt it was the reason why he tried to dominate Mr Glazebrook and even Groves.

Hunnisett also possessed a fanciful mind, evident from the sci-fi stories on his computer.

Hunnisett's mother said her son and the reverend were like buddies, despite the age gap.

Despite encouragement from Mr Glazebrook and his parents, Hunnisett, more a practical boy, did not flourish academically.

His peers at the 1,167-pupil Grove School in Darwell Close, St Leonards, believed the grades were a source of extreme disappointment to him. One said he felt he had failed his parents.

With his grades insufficient for sixth form, Hunnisett left the school in June 2000, aged 16.

Afterwards, he spent five months looking for work.

But even while jobless Hunnisett did not fritter away his time or, like so many others his age, become lured from the straight and narrow.

Instead, he spent a lot of his time with the Hastings Sea Cadets where he was a leader, having joined aged 12.

He would attend on time in his clean, ironed uniform at their meetings at Cinque Ports Way, Hastings.

Officials described him as an enthusiastic and conscientious, if immature, member with an obvious talent for sailing.

In November 2000 Hunnisett found work as a load assembler at a warehouse in Ivyhouse Lane, Hastings.

But he left during the trial period, telling friends he found the work mind-numbing.

He did not find work again until five months later in April, as a general assistant at a garden centre in Bexhill Road, St Leonards.

He started work on Monday, April 30.

Unbeknown to his new colleagues, just hours before starting the job, Hunnisett and Groves had been up all night finding suitable burial spots.

Hunnisett's descent to murderer was totally without warning, according to neighbours who saw him grow up.

They say his non-religious parents provided a stable family life for him and his siblings at their £80,000 three-bed semi.

Neighbour Pearl Page, who lived in Coventry Road, St Leonards, said: "He came across as a nice, normal boy. There was nothing about him to suggest anything suspicious."