Latest news with #OllyStephens
BBC News
15 hours ago
- BBC News
Olly Stephens: Murdered boy's death 'sparked change', says friend
"Keeping your worries private is not the right thing for young people to do."A friend of a 13-year-old murdered by two schoolboys over a dispute on social media has set up a podcast to help raise awareness of what young people are facing Stephens was ambushed and fatally stabbed in a field in Reading, Berkshire, in 2021. Two schoolboys were convicted of his murder later that friend Demi said: "It was an awful thing that happened but I feel like a lot of good has come out of it." The 17-year-old, from Reading, said she believes children feel "like they are almost protecting their parents and don't want them to understand the things they're going through"."But I feel like this dynamic has to change," she said. "At the end of the day, it's the parents' job to protect their children, so they need to be aware of what's happening."Speaking to Radio Berkshire, Demi said her podcast, called The Silent Pressures, is not just a conversation with young people."Including parents in the conversation gives them a resource to help their kids and educate themselves," she explained. "It's a shame that something so devastating [Olly's murder] has to happen for conversations like this to start."It was an awful thing that happened but I feel like a lot of good has come out of it, especially for me and my friends, as it has started a lot of conversations for us."These were issues we weren't aware were issues until they happened to us and now they have sparked change."Demi said it had helped "open my eyes - and a lot of other people's eyes around me - towards what social media is truly like." Her podcast, she said, was a "good way to make young people feel like people are listening to their problems".Demi believes more parents and children are talking about the issues now."I think parents are beginning to understand that they shouldn't give their children access to a phone and social media, especially at such a young age," she said."Although, I still think there is still a lot to improve." You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
07-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Reading teenager Olly Stephens remembered in annual rugby match
A teenager will be remembered later by the rugby teams he played for. Olly Stephens was 13 when he was fatally stabbed in January 2021 by two schoolboys after a dispute on social year, Reading Rugby Football Club hosts a match in his memory. Olly played for both Reading and Reading Abbey Abbey's club chair, Sam Wallis-Robinson, said the event gave people the "opportunity to reflect". She said: "It is an amazing event, it not only gives us the opportunity to remember Olly but also for the kids to take stock of knife crime and the impact it really does have on society."She explained that Olly was a "big fan" of rugby."I was a London Irish season ticket holder and we used to see him and his dad at London Irish all the time."The whole family, particularly Stuart and Olly, were big rugby fans," she boys were found guilty of Olly's murder following a trial in 2021. A girl admitted killers had fallen out with Olly because they believed he "grassed" on them to the brother of a boy they had mocked in a social media group chat, the court case of those convicted can be identified for legal is hoped the match will "keep Olly in everyone's thoughts", Ms Wallis-Robinson said."It is real, it does happen and it can happen to anybody. Events like this do give people the opportunity to reflect."The fourth Olly Stephens Memorial Cup contest will be held at 19:30 GMT at Reading Rugby Football Club. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
