Grieving father has spent 200 hours volunteering at the Knife Angel in Milton Keynes
18-year-old Jay Fathers was stabbed to death on New Year's Day in 2021
A grieving father has spent over 200 hours standing guard over the Knife Angel whilst it's been in Milton Keynes.
18-year-old Jay Fathers was stabbed to death on New Year's Day in Milton Keynes back in 2021.
What happened to Jay Fathers?
Jay was at a friend's house when he was stabbed multiple times by Callum Aylett who lived next door.
Aylett was later jailed for a minimum of 28 years. During the trial the court heard how the 21-year-old had been drinking and smoking cannabis when his girlfriend was hit by a chair leg that was thrown over the fence as they sat in the garden watching fireworks.
In the early hours of January 1st, Aylett recorded himself on his phone saying he was going to stab the people next door, before heading to his neighbours house with two kitchen knives.
Despite any involvement in the neighbour's feud, Jay was stabbed five times.
Who is Jay's dad?
Since then, Jay's father Jason has been campaigning tirelessly to put an end to knife crime in Milton Keynes and beyond.
Within the last month, Jason has been heavily involved in the month of action against violence in Milton Keynes - run by Thames Valley Police and a number of other partners.
The month of action against violence has seen the arrival of the Knife Angel outside Stadium MK, where Jason has spent over 200 hours talking to visitors.
Jason explained why he dedicated so many hours of his time: "I've spoken to thousands of people. Without Jay by my side, and my family, I don't think I'd be able to do this. Jay inspires me to do this work and I'll continue to do it."
Chuckling he added: "Jay would be jealous that I've got all the limelight.
"But in another way, he would be looking down saying 'good on you, keep it going' and 'do this in memory of me'. That's what I'll continue to do."
What is the Knife Angel and what has it achieved?
The 27ft structure aims to spread awareness around violent crime and is part of an attempt to crack down on violence in the city.
The sculpture, made by the British Ironworks, is made up of approximately 100,000 knives collected from knife amnesty bins across the country.
In addition to the Knife Angel's presence, TVP, the PCC, the council, MK Dons SET, and Hazard Alley have put on a number of activities for all members of the community to educate people about the dangers of knife crime and violence more generally.
According to TVP, 4,000 children have been reached as part of the education programme run by MK Dons SET and Hazard Alley, and over 25,000 people have been engaged at the site of the Knife Angel.
This weekend in the last weekend members of the public can see the angel before it moves on to Slough on Monday.