Judges imposed a harsher sentence today on a girl who lured a boy, 13 years old, to park and stabbed him in the head.
Due to her age, the sentence for the 14-year old girl was three years and two month. It came after Olly Stephens’ brutal murder in Reading, Berkshire on January 3, 2021.
After concern from Solicitor General Alex Chalk, three appeal judges today ruled that the sentence was too lenient. Judge Mark Lucraft, Lady Justice Macur and Mr Justice Picken suggested that the sentence be extended to five years.
Olly Stephens was lured into the park by a girl who had carefully plotted an ambush.
She had coaxed Olly into Bugs Bottom Field in Emmer Green (Reading) and told her friends she was “setting Olly up”.
She told the boy to bring sliders and later admitted to him that she felt “kind of scared”.
At the time Olly was only 13 years old, the younger boy used a knife as a weapon to attack Olly, while Olly, now 14, was engaged in scuffles with Olly.
At the time, she was thirteen years old and denied ever knowing that anyone owned a knife.
Heather Norton, Judge Heather Norton sent all three of them to prison in Young Offender Institutions.
The two boys harboured ‘grievances’ with Olly, which are believed to have started when he sought to defend another boy who was being humiliated in a group chat.
Olly had previously fought an older boy and was sentenced to life with a term minimum of 12 years.
Judge Norton sentenced the younger man to a life imprisonment with a term minimum of 13 years.
Thames Valley Police issued a CCTV photo dated 3/1/2021 showing Olly Stephens, walking towards Bugs Bottom on the path to his death.
Barister Tom Little, QC represented Mr Chalk. He argued that the original sentence for the girl, which was three years and two month, was too lenient.
Kate Lumsdon (QC), who was the representative of the girl, did not agree.
Appeal judges ruled that Judge Norton made an error in deciding the sentence for the girl.
The boys claimed that neither the girls nor the boys could be identified by media reports.
The boys murdered Olly and dumped the bloody clothes onto a train track. Before the older boy could record a disturbing voice note, they both screamed.
It said that he was in love with his boy and was slapping him. I started slapping him up and then my boy backed out and then f****** shanked him.’
Our son was taken from us by social media. Olly Stephens (13 years old) went to the park but never returned. He was a victim of wannabe criminal gang members, who glorified knives through sickly online boasts. His parents, a tragic teenage victim of gang violence, speak out to help their son’s killers win ‘life.
Tom Rawstorne, Daily Mail
It took only 15 minutes for Amanda and Stuart Stephens to change their lives forever. Olly Stephens, 13, left his Berkshire home on January 3rd and went to the park across from where he met a girl of the same age.
Amanda recalls that “He left saying, “Don’t worry Mom, I love You” and then going.”
She assumed that it was them returning when she heard a knock on the door a quarter of an hour after the fact.
But when she opened it, her son wasn’t there – just a boy he knew.
He told her that Olly had been stabbed.
Amanda fled, shouting the same terrible words at her husband.
Stuart Stephens is the father of Olly Stephens. He reads from a statement in front Reading Crown Court. He called her ‘vain, selfish’
The 52-year old said that Stuart ran to the field without shoes. ‘And when I got there he just fell to his knees and he was screaming, ‘My boy, my boy’ – and I looked over and Olly was just completely lifeless.’
Stuart is still unable to forget that fateful moment. He said, “I wanted to be close to him.” ‘I ran over to the field and there was a crowd of people surrounding Olly and I just remember the faces – everyone turning and looking at me and the horror just written on their faces.
“I was sitting in his blood so that I could see how much he had lost. When I was able to hold his hand, I realized he was gone.
“Fifteen minutes earlier he was smiling, laughing, and jokeing,” the 51-yearold said. “He didn’t realize what he was entering.” They’re children. It’s not what you would expect of children.
Olly was lured to the park during a meticulously planned ambush.
This was how the “cunning and manipulative” girl saw her father being attacked by two teenage boys.
A younger boy, Boy A due to his age, pulled out a knife and attacked Olly.
People rushed to assist him as he was about to collapse. He was declared dead at the park by paramedics as well an air ambulance crew.
Yesterday at Reading Crown Court his killers – all three of whom are now 14 – were detained for a total of 28 years. Boy A, and Boy B were convicted earlier of murder. The minimum sentences for each of them were 13 and 12 year life sentences.
She pleaded guilty and received three years and two month imprisonment.
Judge Heather Norton thanked Olly’s parents for keeping the courtroom quiet, which she called humbling.
She told them that she knew the sentences she was about to deliver to these defendants would seem too short. They will be unbearably lengthy for the families of defendants. They do not reflect Olly’s value. He is, I believe, priceless.
The Stephens family isn’t satisfied with this outcome. The only hope for them is to see no one else suffer their pain. Amanda stated, “We’re broken.”
Their anger is especially directed at the impact social media had on Olly’s death.
On Snapchat, he was threatened while his attackers posted images and videos gang-related to him.
Stuart says that it is an absurd situation. There are companies in San Francisco that harvest your data, make a lot out of it, and then when the child dies, they don’t hold them accountable.
“The only analogy that I can think of is when a car manufacturer makes a vehicle with a defective petrol tank, or faulty brakes, and people are killed because of it, then you will be brought to court. No one can be held responsible for social media, which I find a problem as our children make use of these platforms to harm and threaten each other.
Olly was born in Emmer Green in Reading to his younger sister. He grew up in a peaceful cul de sac. His interests included fishing, skiing and rugby. At seven years old, he was also the team’s mascot.
His life was full of joy, and everything he attempted to do he succeeded.
His father said that he provided entertainment for a quarter the family. This week, his son recalled his first interview with media before the sentencing hearing. He gave it his all. Olly was unable to settle down when he moved to secondary school.
Stuart admits that Olly loved the school social aspect, but struggled with the education side. The lockdowns were a great thing for Olly, who was diagnosed with autism. He could spend his spare time on the bike and practice wheelies at home.
After the horrendous ambush in Reading, Investigators were called to a forensic tent at Bugs Bottom Field, Emmer Green.
But his family was less aware of the other side of Olly’s life – one conducted through a screen.
Amanda says, “You think that you know your child well but only a fraction of their actions.” “We could clearly see that Olly was playing Xbox in his bedroom. But, on his phone, when we saw how he was being spoken to in conversations it was absolutely horrific – you could almost say it was two worlds going on in one house.’
It was clear that this was not an act of random murder committed by unknown people. Olly knew the girl even before Olly killed her.
What makes his death even harder to understand is the age of those involved – children only recently turned teenagers arguing over a trivial, perceived slight.
According to the court, Olly was believed by two of his sons that he had been talking behind their backs and saying things they have not done. This could lead them into trouble with older boys. Amanda points out that Olly was actually standing up for the weaker.
The court heard that the reason they became so mad at him was that he had made a screenshot of an older boy getting humiliated, and then shared it with his brother to protect him.
‘That was what Olly was like – he wouldn’t have liked that injustice.’
The boys thought this was enough to justify inflicting violent punishment.
The plan was to force him to apologise and film that apology, a ‘ritual of embarrassment’ – and all because of some deluded belief that they were real gang members who had been ‘disrespected’. The lives of these boys weren’t difficult in reality. Boy B, who was raised by his loving parents, excelled in school. Even though Boy A’s parents were divorcées, he had a solid background.
They tried to project a far more realistic image on social media.
The Mail has one photo of Boy A on a scooter, making a “gang signal”. This boy looks old enough to have been in primary school.
Boy B has cultivated a following on Instagram. A female friend even made a video of Boy B wearing a balaclava. The caption was “Ah, it’s impossible to get over you”.
Video footage taken from their phones shows boys fighting with a knife. TikTok footage showed a screenshot of a baguette containing a knife. It was captioned: ‘Ur baguettingstabbed.
On January 1, two days before the murder, Boy B, wearing a balaclava, posted a video on Instagram in which he threatened to stab Olly with a ‘nank’ – slang for knife.
He stated that he would see the knife enter his skull. If he does, I will promise him I will poke a hole in his head with a needle.
You can also hear recordings of rappers using street language to talk about knives, stabbing, and burning clothes.
The funeral procession for Olly Stephens is viewed by people as it slows on All Hallows Road.
Snapchat chats over Christmas discussed ways they could “set up” Olly. “I’ll make his lick my shoes,” Boy B wrote in a Snapchat message. “I will just give him bangs and stab him. I don’t care.’
In an effort to lure Olly to their home, the girls enlisted the help of the girl who had been known to be in a relationship with Olly and to take him to the parks.
She told the boys she didn’t care whether or not he ‘f****** dies’ and that whatever happened would be ‘karma’.
Online threats that led to Olly being stabbed were the core of the prosecution against them.
After his death, the boys sought to cover up their mistakes by deleting messages, photos, and videos.
Stuart says that it was too late. His mother and sister searched online for answers on the night that Olly was murdered. “They searched social media for evidence and collected a lot.
He said that he believed some of the material his daughter had gathered was a key factor in the success of what the police could do.
I do not know where she got that strength.
Boy B deleted 57 file types and 15 videos. In a message to girl, Boy A said that he was a deadman’ and before deleting Snapchat or Instagram.
Olly’s family has since come to realize how social media was used by teens. This is what they have left behind.
On the morning of the murder, Boy B confronted Olly on Snapchat calling him a ‘f*****’ and insulting his mother.
“I do not believe that children younger than 16 should be using it. Stuart states that they aren’t mature enough or able to handle the recriminations from what they have said.
He added, “They don’t know what they’re saying is illegal.” They fuel the fire. There’s a whole subculture. For a thirteen-year-old, the lifestyle of a gangster looks very glamorous. It’s not. It leads to danger and harm. Our children end up killing each other because of the way that the internet polices are not working.
To establish identity, the account should be connected to a credit or identification card.
He adds that his wife believes life has drastically changed since 2000. This is only getting more. All the Xbox and PlayStation games have knives. You can see how the games are almost desensitizing children. It’s the music and some of its lyrics. Then there are images posted on social media. It’s a perfect storm.
Amanda clarified that her feelings towards the murderers of their son are not hatred. She said: “There’s no anger toward them. It’s sadness about the circumstances created and the loss it has caused for everyone.
Stuart admits that he was uncomfortable seeing his sons with their parents.
He stated, “They still had their children,” They will be able visit them and hug, touch, and kiss them. They can’t. There’s no turning back. A large part of our lives has been lost.
“Olly fell on the ground and was instantly forensic evidence.” To say goodbye to your child in the back of an ambulance when you can’t touch them, can’t hold them, can’t do anything – you had spent the day with them laughing and joking and then you see them lifeless. This is quite a special moment.