DAD'S GRIEF
Olly Stephens’ dad breaks down as he blasts ‘vain selfish girl’, 14, who lured his son, 13, to Snapchat ‘execution’
THE heartbroken father of murdered schoolboy Olly Stephens blasted the "vain selfish girl" who lured his 13-year-old son to his "cruel execution".
A girl, 14, tricked Olly into coming to a popular dog walking field where he was stabbed to death in a frenzied ambush by two other boys, who were 13 at the time, just a stone's throw from the victim's home in Reading.
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Coming face-to-face with his son's killers in court, Olly's father Stuart Stephens relived the terrifying moment he sprinted to find his wing-man son dying.
He blasted the girl as "vain" and "selfish" and blamed all three "equally" for the killing during his tearful victim impact statement.
Stuart, who struggled to get his words out on the witness stand, said: "The cruel actions of a vain selfish girl has led to Olly being trapped and slain.
"The day she walked into his life is a day we will forever regret.
"We as a family hold all three of you equally accountable for his death, there will no forgiveness from us, ever.
"We are no longer the people we were and we will never be the same again."
The boys, now 14, were convicted of murdering the victim following a trial at Reading Crown Court this summer.
They were today sentenced to 12 and 13 years in a young offenders institution.
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The girl set up the "ambush" and had already admitted manslaughter and did not stand trial.
She was handed just three years and two months.
The three defendants cannot be named because of their age.
Stuart said their actions "reduced our son to a bag of ashes", adding: "I had one job as a father, to protect my children, and I failed miserably - I will never forgive myself."
Nothing short of an execution
Olly's mum Amanda said:"Why didn't just one of them to step in to stop it happening, why didn't one care enough to stand up for him?
"Olly always stood up for the underdog, it got him into trouble, but that was just him."
Jurors were previously told Olly’s killers had shared several hostile messages about him on Snapchat in the days leading up to the stabbing.
The girl said in one message: “Karma – he (Olly) deserves all of this.”
The victim was convinced to go Bugs Bottom field near his home in Emmer Green, Reading, Berkshire, by the girl following a social media dispute.
He was then "ambushed" by the two boys and stabbed to death.
The court heard both boys had "grievances" with Olly, who had autism, while the girl described any violence against him as "karma" in the run-up to his death.
The younger of the two boys, aged 13 at the time, inflicted the fatal blows on Olly's body.
Chilled to the bone
The younger boy was sentenced for murder, and perverting the course of justice after he admitted disposing of clothing worn at the time of the attack.
The older boy was sentenced for murder, and two counts of perverting the course of justice for deleting apps from his mobile phone, which he admitted, and for throwing away clothes worn during the attack, which he denied but was convicted of.
The girl pleaded guilty to manslaughter and perverting the course of justice by deleting data from her mobile phone.
The trial was held in special conditions, with frequent breaks and counsel removing their gowns and wigs, due to the defendants' ages.
Speaking outside court, Detective Chief Constable Andy Howard, who led the investigation into Olly Stephens' murder, said: "No parent should have to endure the horror of their child dying in this way and then have to listen to detailed evidence of Olly's final moments along with shocking revelations of the determined plan by those involved to ambush Olly and then attack him."
Mr Howard said he hoped Olly would feel that justice has been done, but continued: "This is not a case where any of us should be celebrating these verdicts or these sentences.
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"A 13-year-old boy with a bright future ahead of him has died in violent and distressing circumstances and his family and friends have been devastated by his loss, and three other young people and their families have had their lives changed for ever.
"The implications for their futures are also devastating."
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The touching victim impact statements of murdered 13-year-old schoolboy Olly Stephens' parents
Stuart Stephens recalled in court the moment he sprinted to find his wing-man son dying in a field known as Bugs Bottom.
Addressing the young defendants in court, Mr Stephens said: "We as a family hold all three of you equally accountable for his death, there will no forgiveness from us, ever. We are no longer the people we were and we will never be the same again.
"The cruel actions of a vain selfish girl has led to Olly being trapped and slain. The day she walked into his life is a day we will forever regret.
"All of this destruction for what? Hearsay, gossip, lies and deceit. Your actions have reduced our son to a bag of ashes, he did not deserve this fate. No child deserves to meet such a callous end.
"Olly was unaware of what was being planned for him and he was unarmed. The callousness in which they planned this left us chilled to the bone. This was nothing short of an execution.
"Is this how we repay our serviceman, we have created a society where the needs of our children are neglected and so they turn feral and slaughter each other."
"I had one job as a father, to protect my children, and I failed miserably - I will never forgive myself."
He added: "[Olly] didn't deserve his fate no matter what he might have said or done, no child deserves such a callous fate.
"We will forever crave time with our son, the love of our child overshadows everything we do. It is because of jealously and rumours that our son is gone.
";It turns my stomach daily to think of his final moments, to have him extinguished in this manner. One foul act has condemned us all to a miserable future.
"We as parents worked extremely hard to provide a loving environment for our children, this was our reward.
"The callous cruel murder of Olly has ripped the soul out of our family. No justice can compensate us for our loss."
Olly's mum Amanda said: "Why didn't just one of them to step in to stop it happening, why didn't one care enough to stand up for him?
"Olly always stood up for the underdog, it got him into trouble, but that was just him."
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