Tears for caring boy, 13, stabbed to death in park
THE family of an autistic schoolboy stabbed to death in a park said he was “a loving, caring, funny soul who would stick up for the underdog”.
Speaking at Oliver Stephens’ funeral, dad Stuart said the 13-year-old had finally come to terms with his condition on the morning he was attacked.
A girl of 13 and boys aged 13 and 14 will face a murder trial in the summer after the knife horror in Emmer Green, Reading on January 3.
Hundreds lined the streets to pay their respects, throwing red roses as the procession headed to Reading Crematorium.
Mounted police accompanied the hearse for the final part of the journey.
Mr Stephens told mourners his son would have been embarrassed by the fuss.
He said: “Olly was so full of promise, goals and ambitions. We would dream of winning the lottery just so we could spend more time together and help others. Although this stage of his life was awkward for him, we felt he was finally accepting his autism on the morning of his passing.
“We’d fought this battle and won but the war was to come.
“Olly was our enigma, a square peg in a round hole, a puzzle to be solved, a teenager. We loved, nurtured and cherished him.We never gave up.
“We used to talk about his autistic ‘superpower’ as we called it.Would he be a techno whiz, a musician, artist, or mathematical prodigy? Turns out his gift was the power of love. All of you here are testimony to this, we have all come for Olly.
“Oliver touched so many lives without either us or himself knowing it, we now know.”
He said: “Please remember Olly as a loving, caring, funny soul who would stick up for the underdog, who would never back down from injustice, prejudice, inequality or cruelty.”
The inquest into Olly’s death will open on Monday.