Three teenagers sentenced over murder of schoolboy Olly Stephens in Reading
He was stabbed to death in January
Last updated 27th Sep 2021
Three teenagers have been sentenced at Reading Crown Court following the murder of local schoolboy Olly Stephens.
The 13 year old was stabbed to death on 3 January this year at Bugs Bottom in Emmer Green in Reading.
Two 14 year old boys were found guilty of murder in July following a five week trial and both have been handed life sentences today.
The older of the two boys has been given a minimum prison sentence of 12 years.
The younger boy has been sentenced to a minimum of 13 years in prison.
One of the boys had admitted perverting the course of justice by disposing of clothing worn at the time of the killing, while the other admitted the same offence for deleting information from his mobile phone.
A 14 year old girl involved in the incident pleaded guilty to manslaughter and has been sentenced to three years and two months in prison.
The three cannot be named for legal reasons.
What happened to Olly Stephens?
The attackers left Olly with stab wounds to the chest and back after a short scuffle at the scene.
The court had heard that the younger boy, who was 13 at the time, used a knife to stab Olly while the older boy was fighting with him.
The whole incident is said to have lasted between 30 and 40 seconds.
Social media messages ahead of the murder
Jurors were told the three had shared several messages on Snapchat in the days leading up to Olly’s death, which demonstrated hostility towards him.
The girl said in one message to one of the defendants: “Karma – he (Olly) deserves all of this.”
The older boy also said: “I actually hate the kid with a passion – if I was to see him right now I’d probably end up killing him.”
Alison Morgan QC, prosecuting, had said Olly was “unknowingly walking into an ambush”.
Ms Morgan QC said: “(The girl) lured Olly to the location of the attack, in a place called Bugs Bottom, and she lured him to allow the attack to be carried out by the two defendants.
“The defendants were motivated by perceived grievances with Olly.”
Olly's mum tells us how hard the trial has been
Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio, Olly's mother Amanda Stephens described how hard the trial had been. "It was shocking. It was shocking what we were seeing and what we were hearing.
"And we were trying to take it in and it was really hard.
" You just couldn't comprehend children doing this to another child."
His father Stuart Stephens said: "All he had done was stand up for another child - and that was how he got paid back."
You can read and hear more of the heartbreaking interview with his parents in our article here.