Today, was the day that the family of Oliver Stephens said goodbye to their 13 year old son Ollie Stephens. The family were joined by the Reading Community in their grieving.
The bereaved family of the 13-year-old who died in Bugs Bottom fields Reading on Sunday, January 3 (2021.) have paid tribute to their 'charming and beautiful' son.
Olly's parents described "Oliver was an enigma. Having both Autism and Pathological Demand Avoidance. He became a challenge we never shied away from.
'He could get his own way with a wry smile and a cheeky grin'. 'He always stood his ground. And fought for the underdog whilst having an amazing depth of love,
warmth and wit'.
'In his final moments, he must have been terrified'. 'Fighting to get home, he had everything to live for we now have only our memories'.
The road will be lined with well wishers needing to say their goodbyes to the young boy who stabbed to death.
A social media post has said 'The funeral hearse would be going past;
Highdown School
St Barnabus Church
Emmer Green Primary School.
And would then travel through ;
Caversham Park Village down the Lowfield Road and onto the Henley Road and up to the Crematorium.
The social post media post continued to say that;
On All Hallows Road Olly's hearse would slow down so that single red roses can be thrown onto the vehicle'.
The Flower Shop in Caversham who provided single roses for a £1. With the money raised it would go to a local group called "Parenting Special Children". "Parenting Special Children" provide training courses and information. The group were invaluable to Olly's parents.
To date;
The family would like to thank people for their donations to the GoFundMe page which has raised £20,405 to date.
The petition to ban the selling of knives exceeds 10,000
RCE News would like to express their condolences to Oliver's family, friends and all concerned.
A 13-year-old girl, a 13-year-old boy and a 14-year-old boy, who cannot be named, are charged with murder and conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm in connection with Olly's death.
The girl was also charged with perverting the course of justice. The trio are facing a murder trial in the summer over Olly's death.
They will next appear at a pre-trial hearing at Reading Crown Court on February 4 and a provisional trial date has been set for June 21, also at Reading Crown Court.
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