Olly Stephens Biography – Wiki
Olly Stephens was persuaded to go to the Bugs Bottom field in Emmer Green, Reading, on January 3, 2021, by a 14-year-old girl, allowing two teenagers to “ ambush ” him with a knife.
The family of a 13-year-old autistic boy who was lured to a park where he was brutally murdered held a memorial service to mark the first anniversary of his death.
Age
Olly Stephens has died at the age of 13-years-old.
Family Make First Death Anniversary
His frantic parents rushed to the scene, which was only moments from their home after a witness raised the alarm, but he was already dead when they arrived.
The two boys, who are now 14 years old, were convicted of murder after a trial, while the girl pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Subsequently, the Court of Appeal increased her sentence.
To celebrate Olly’s life, her parents Amanda and Stuart Stephens invited family and close friends to join them at St Barnabas Church in Emmer Green this afternoon at 3:00 pm to remember him.
The service was led by the Bishop of Reading, the Reverend Olivia Graham, and was heard on loudspeakers outside the church so supporters could pay their respects to the young man.
Ms. Stephens said the past year had been a “living nightmare” for BBC News.
She admitted: ‘Even though it’s a year, I feel like I’m looking at life instead of living it.’
Stephens also spoke about the importance of the memorial service because it increases awareness of knife crimes.
She added: ‘We want people to remind Olly of what he was like and not how he died.
“[The service] will raise awareness of knife crime and get those conversations started at home – talk to your kids.”
Olly had been lured to the park last year in a carefully planned ambush after he had apparently tried to defend another boy who was being humiliated in a group chat.
Olly’s attackers left him with stab wounds to the chest and back after a short fight at the scene.
The younger, who was 13 at the time, used a knife to stab Olly while the older was fighting him, previously heard at the Reading Crown Court trial.
Jurors were told that they had shared multiple messages on Snapchat in the days leading up to Olly’s death, demonstrating hostility towards him.
The girl said in a message to one of the defendants: “Karma, he (Olly) deserves all this.”
The older boy also said: “In fact, I hate the boy with a passion; if he saw him right now, he would probably end up killing him.”
The mother and father of the slain schoolboy previously urged the parents of the adolescent children to ‘take away their phone’ after warning that social media ‘played a major role’ in their son’s death.
Stuart and Amanda Stephens said they remain “heartbroken” after the death of their “generous, loving and loving” 13-year-old son.
When asked what advice they would offer to parents of children her son’s age, Stephens said, “Take their phone away from them and don’t give it back.”
Mrs. Stephens said that she “had no idea” at the time how badly others were treating her son.
She said: ‘Keep asking questions, suspect, try not to be discouraged: your children beat you, when you ask questions you don’t get answers.’
“Just keep going until you feel comfortable and trust your gut reactions as well.”
Ms. Stephens added: ‘If you don’t like the sound of friends, there’s probably a very good reason for it.
“It’s very difficult because we can look back and say, as parents, we did our best work, we love him to pieces and we always try to be there for him and talk to him.”
