OPINION: Mint Slices sold out for Stephanie Scott's birthday

LAST week, Stephanie Scott’s killer Vincent Stanford was sentenced to life in jail for the crime. And I was at the court house in Griffith for the sentencing.

Merrilyn and Bob Scott, parents of Stephanie Scott, deliver a statement after their daughter's killer is sentences to life in prison. Picture: Alexia Purcell

IT was a crime that shocked the nation.

A bride-to-be, raped and murdered in Leeton, in central New South Wales, days before her wedding.

Last week, Stephanie Scott's killer Vincent Stanford was sentenced to life in jail for the crime.

And I was at the court house in Griffith for the sentencing.

The courtroom was overflowing with Stephanie's family and friends, many wearing yellow, her favourite colour.

So packed was the courtroom, media had to sit in the jury box.

And in the dock, Stanford sat with his head down during the entire proceedings.

Afterwards, Stephanie's parents addressed waiting media.Stephanie's mother Merrilyn remembered their daughter, who "embodied all that is good about human kind" and said they would now begin to celebrate her "short, amazing life."

The day after would have been Stephanie's 28th birthday.

"We will be having a cup of tea and a Mint Slice biscuit at 3. Please join us," Merrilyn said.

I know you couldn't get a pack of Mint Slice biscuits anywhere in Griffith that day.