Parents of murdered boy join anti-knife campaign

Amanda and Stuart Stephens' son Olly was stabbed to death in Reading in 2021

The parents of a teenager who was stabbed to death have joined a campaign to steer young people away from violence and knife crime.

Amanda and Stuart Stephens' son Olly was murdered over a social media dispute in Reading, Berkshire, in January 2021.

The pair were among about 100 campaigners at an event in Westminster on Wednesday.

Recent research by a leading anti-knife crime charity showed knife crime rates in England and Wales have risen by 81% in the last decade.

The Ben Kinsella Trust research also found that teenagers were twice as likely to be fatally stabbed than they were 10 years ago.

Olly Stephens was killed over a social media dispute

The event in Westminster was held to mark Knife Crime Awareness Week.

Talking to the BBC, Ms Stephens said: "It became quite a clear decision that we would do Olly's work - we needed to find something positive to have some hope and something to focus."

Mr Stephens said Wednesday's event was proof that the campaign had been "enabling all the agencies that need to talk to together" to "work and talk" with one another.

Jules Bottazzi said campaigners needed to earn young people's trust

The Kinsella Trust works with schools to show young people they don't need to carry a weapon for protection.

They also provide training to the Thames Valley Violence Prevention Partnership's knife crime campaign - entitled Stay True to You.

Head of the partnership Jules Bottazzi said: "If young people trust that we're actually listening to them and not judging them, and are open to whatever they're saying, they are more likely to ask us for help - but they're not going to ask for help while they think they're being judged."