THE SENIOR investigating officer in the Olly Stephens murder case said that he hopes the family can begin to grieve properly for their son.
It comes as the killers were sentenced today at Reading Crown Court.
Two 14-year-old boys have been found guilty of murder, and a 14-year-old girl guilty of manslaughter and perverting the course of justice.
DCI Andy Howard said that he is grateful for the jury’s considered time on the case.
“It must have been very shocking for them,” he said. “The overwhelming emotion around this case is one of sadness, around the situation and circumstances [of Olly’s death].
“In my four years as a senior investigating officer, these are the youngest defendants I have seen, and possibly the youngest Thames Valley Police has seen.”
He said the 13-year-old’s murder sends a message about the impact and “inherent risk” of carrying a knife.
“We all have a duty to this generation, to educate and deter knife crime,” he said.
“This case illustrates the risk of what could happen. The real message is, if you’re carrying a knife, you are only carrying it if you are prepared to use it.
“So many lives changed forever on that night in Bugs Bottom, in Emmer Green.”
Olly was killed on Sunday, January 3, and from then onwards, speculation about the case began spreading on social media.
DCI Howard said this posed a significant challenge for the investigation, due to the number of rumours circulating.
This included one social media post thought to be written by a defendant, but later turned out to be “fake news”, DCI Howard said.
“As soon as this case arrived in the courts, there were very strict reporting restrictions put in place, which seemed to have helped,” he said.
“Social media was a primary part of the investigation and how we went about presenting the case to the jury.
“It meant we didn’t need to call on some young people as live witnesses, but the volume of material we had to deal with was significant.
“Our digital forensics team supported that, and identified 11 different social media platforms being used.”
DCI Howard said he felt it was right that the killers have not been named in the courts, or after sentencing.
“There has to be an exceptional reason [to name them], and as shocking as this case is, I don’t feel it meets this criteria.”
They can be named in four years, when they turn 18.
“I hope there is a sense of justice now,” the DCI added. “And I hope Olly would think that justice has been achieved. For the family, they need this [court case] to finish to move on with the grieving process.
“I hope it is a line in the sand, so they can start to grieve.”
One of the teenage boys has applied for permission to appeal against his conviction.
His lawyers said the judge was wrong to not allow psychiatric evidence about their client’s Asperger’s syndrome diagnosis.
