Victim's dad calls for more action on knife crime

Rob Freckleton, left, said the family was left broken by the death of his son Oliver

The father of a man who was stabbed to death while protecting his friends at a party has called for more action to be taken to fight knife crime.

Oliver Freckleton, 19, was killed when he tried to defend his friends from armed attackers at a house in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, in December 2021.

Three men and a teenage girl were jailed in June 2023 over Mr Freckleton's killing, which happened just a day before his 20th birthday.

Speaking to BBC Midlands Today, Rob Freckleton, Oliver's father, claimed knife crime in the country was getting worse and victims' parents were "really trying to make a difference" by raising awareness.

"Education is the key and we need to start it at a young age," he said. "Get it on the national curriculum because it's just getting out of control."

Mr Freckleton, from Burton, has also been fundraising and campaigning to install more bleed control kits in his local area.

'Amazing young man'

Mr Freckleton recently took part in an Ultra White Collar Boxing event, which provides opportunities for people with little or no boxing experience to get involved in fights.

"I wanted something to grab people's attention," he said. "A friend of mine had fought at Ultra White Collar Boxing so I thought I'd give that a go. It just snowballed from there."

Mr Freckleton said the training was hard but the experience was "absolutely amazing", adding it helped to improve his confidence and mental health.

He raised about £5,000 at the event and the money went to charity Charlie's Promise, which was created in memory of stabbing victim Charlie Cosser.

He said he would continue to do everything he could to raise awareness of knife crime in memory of his son.

"Oliver was an amazing young man – life and soul of the party," Mr Freckleton added.

"He would light up any room you walked into with his infectious giggle. What happened just broke us."