Teen’s stab death to be featured on TV programme
SPOTLIGHT ON TRAGEDY WHICH CLAIMED TOWN YOUTH’S LIFE
THE story of a teenager from Hinckley who was stabbed to death by one of his friends is to feature in a TV series this weekend.
Josh Taylor, 18, was fatally injured in Sword Drive in the town in October last year after an argument broke out between him and his friend Dylan West, who was 17 at the time.
West, of Bonneville Road, Hinckley, was convicted of manslaughter and possessing knives in public and was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in jail in March this year.
Now the story of the fatal incident is featuring on an episode of Britain’s Deadliest Kids, with Josh’s sister Lucy and his dad interviewed for the programme.
“They wanted to get to know Josh as a person, where he was born and his background”, said Lucy.
Josh was a student at Hinckley
Academy and John Cleveland Sixth Form Centre, and had previously lived in Earl Shilton.
The programme is to broadcast footage filmed by an off-duty police officer of the moment Joshua was stabbed.
Lucy said that scene had been very difficult to watch.
West was jailed after being found guilty of manslaughter by a jury at Leicester Crown Court. He was cleared of murder.
The court heard that West had armed himself with two kitchen knives and went out to find his friend Josh, with whom he’d had an altercation earlier the same night.
The friends had been drinking vodka together in a park along with others when Joshua accused West of breaking his Bluetooth speaker. There was a scuffle and Joshua, who was carrying a small knife that he had showed his friends in the park, chased West away.
West went home and armed himself with two kitchen knives.
He eventually confronted Joshua in Sword Drive in Hinckley in the early hours of October 7 last year, when he thrust the larger of his two kitchen knives into Joshua’s chest.
Lucy has previously said in a Facebook tribute to her brother: “Knife crime is so serious these days. Cherish your siblings, take it from someone who now knows.”
She also gave a speech at Josh’s funeral, at St Peter’s Roman Catholic Church in Hinckley, and her words provoked a standing ovation.
Josh’s grandfather, Stephen Taylor, said at the time: “Josh was stabbed but it’s stabbed us all. We are all heartbroken because we were very close to Josh and his sister.”
Stephen has also spoken out to youths to warn of the dangers of knife crime.
■ The episode, entitled The Killing of Josh Taylor, is airing on Quest Red on Saturday at 10pm.