‘Christmas will never be the same again for us’
MUM REVEALS DEVASTATING IMPACT OF SON’S DEATH ON FAMILY
A MUM whose son died from stab wounds says Christmas “will never be the same again” as her family try to come to terms with what happened.
Zoe Cooke, from West Bridgford, lost her son in July 2021 and says, for her family, the pain will never go away.
Byron Griffin, aged 22, from East Leake, died from stab wounds in Ilkeston on Sunday, July 4.
Months later, Zoe and her family are preparing for their first festive season without him.
“Christmas will never be the same again,” she said.
“It was always quite a good time for us. My brother’s birthday is Boxing Day, mine is New Year’s Day and Byron’s is January 14, so we’re all Capricorns. Christmas has always been a massive time for us.
“We have a really, really close family and we would all go to my mum’s for Christmas - she has a big house in Bunny.
“I have bought all the presents for my daughter as you have got to carry on for the little ones. I took her to the Christmas Market a few weeks ago and I was sat there, drinking my hot chocolate, and I just started sobbing.
“I thought ‘I’m sat here, enjoying myself, and my baby is six feet under.’ I wonder how I am going to carry on knowing that I can never see him again.
“We were so close - his friends used to laugh at him because of it he would tell me everything. I don’t think people realise the impact it has.
“People think it goes away but it is a constant thing. No matter what I am doing, I am thinking about him. This morning, on my way to work, I visited the grave.
“I always go because I feel I can’t leave him there, alone in the cold. Even if it’s just for five or 10 minutes, I go and see him.”
Byron left behind family in places such as Nottingham, Liverpool and Dubai.
His younger sister Skye wrote him a message before Christmas and has become very close with his other younger sister on his dad’s side in Liverpool, with the pair often speaking over Facetime.
They even visited his grave together recently.
In a letter shared with the Post, his sister Skye wrote: “To my beautiful brother Byron.
“Don’t think I forgot about you this Christmas. You are a part of me, you will never leave my heart. I will try to send you some gifts to heaven hopefully you get them! “Love from your gremlin, Skye.” Byron’s mum Zoe is now dedicating a lot of her time to providing bleed kits across Nottinghamshire and campaigning against knife crime.
She continued: “It breaks my heart.
“His sisters, my mum - everyone is broken. His eldest sister lives in Dubai and she was planning on coming home in the summer so she could see Byron. She ended up having to come home for his funeral.
“My mum is flying out to Dubai to make sure she isn’t alone over Christmas. It’s just ruined literally everything. It never gets better. You just get better at disguising it.
“How people see me at work and out in public is completely different to how I am at home. That’s when it hits you like a tonne of bricks.
“It’s just devastating beyond belief. He always wanted children, he would always say to me he couldn’t wait to have children - and now he will never have the chance to have a family of his own.”
Four men - Dylan Geary, 22, Daniel Lewsley, 32, Grant James Masterson, 29, all from Ilkeston, and 26-year-old Jordan Fairbrother from Swandlicote - have been charged with Byron’s murder.
All have entered not guilty pleas and a trial is scheduled to take place in the New Year.