EXCLUSIVE: Family of Swindon teen stab victim crack down on knife crime
Owen Dunn was killed in north Swindon in December
Last updated 21st Feb 2023
The family of a Swindon teenager, who was stabbed to death, are campaigning to tackle knife crime across the country.
Owen Dunn was killed on Mazurek Way in Haydon End on December 4, in an attack that shocked the Swindon community.
The 18-year-old's loved ones have since launched a community interest company (CIC), to crack down on weapon offending.
Owen's World is aiming to improve services that are being offered to youngsters in Swindon, to help with daily struggles and stop them turning to knife crime. It's calling for better mental health support, places to socialise and employment opportunities.
The CIC is also looking to make self-defence lessons mandatory on the national school curriculum, to teach children how to protect themselves from attacks. Organisers believe these lessons would educate pupils in discipline too.
A petition has now been opened by Owen's World. It will need 10,000 signatures for a government response and 100,000 to be considered for debate in parliament.
'I had three grandsons and now I've only got two'
On Friday 17 February, Greatest Hits Radio joined Owen's World on a visit to the Knife Angel at Gloucester Cathedral.
The 27-foot sculpture is compiled of more than 100,000 blades, seized by 43 police forces across the UK. Created by Alfie Bradley, the Angel acts as a catalyst to prevent violent and aggressive behaviour.
It's also a memorial, so lives that have been lost to knife crime can be celebrated.
During the visit, we spoke exclusively to Owen's Grandma, Trisha Aldred. She said her "whole word died" on the day her grandson was killed.
"He was such a lovely person and everyone loved him. He was a part of my heart and now everything is totally broken.
"He was my Owensy and I was his Nansy. We had our own little pet names for each other.
"I'll never, ever forget him. I had three grandsons and now I've only got two. That is the most painful thing that I've ever had to go through.
"I just don't want anyone to go through what I myself, my daughter and my family are going through. So we need to clamp down on knife crime," she added.
'I would love to go into schools and show children the impacts of carrying knives'
Owen's Auntie Lauren Page, one of the Owen's World organisers, told us that seeing the knife angel was something she "had to do".
"I would love to be able to go into schools, as young as Year Six, and show these children about (the impacts of) carrying knives, gang crime, carrying a knife to fit in," she said.
She added that the CIC wants to support youngsters who "don't have a great home life, that feel the need to look for a family figure (through knife crime)".
Owen's World has been launched amid new figures from the Ministry of Justice, which show knife crime convictions have risen significantly in Wiltshire over recent years.
The number of knife and offensive weapon offenses across the county, resulting in a caution or sentence, increased by 87% between 2012 and 2022.
A 14-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been charged with Owen's murder and is currently being remanded in secure accommodation. A pre-trial and preparation hearing is scheduled for February 24 at Bristol Crown Court.
Police are continuing to urge anyone with information about the incident to call 101, quoting reference Operation Glendale.
Alternatively, people can contact CrimeStoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.