Mother confronts her son's killers in court

The mother of a boy who was stabbed to death confronted his killers in court as they were jailed for his murder.

Darrian Williams, 16 died after being attacked in Rawnsley Park in Easton, Bristol, on 14 February.

Giving a victim statement at Bristol Crown Court earlier, his mother Charlene Williams shouted "was it worth it?" before the two 16-year-old murderers were sentenced to 15 years and 76 days each.

His killers, who were 15 at the time of the killing, denied Darrian's murder but were found guilty by a jury on 1 November.

Being helped to read out her victim impact statement in the witness box by a friend, Ms Willians said living without her son had "broken" her and she felt "lost and traumatised".

"They have taken from me not only my son but the future," she added.

"His life has been stolen and with it the light and joy he brought to our family.

"Darrian was my child, a beloved brother, grandson, nephew and friend, and a source of happiness for all of us. His loss has torn our family apart and has left wounds that will never heal," she said.

"Each day without him is another reminder of what I have lost. I feel that all joy and peace has gone forever."

Meanwhile, Darrian's aunt, Tiffany Williams, who he lived with since the age of eight said she had "lost her sidekick".

"Since he died, I'm a shell of my former self in looks, weight and also in personality.

"I really struggle to eat because of the stress," she added.

Sentencing the two boys, the honourable Mr Justice Saini said while he believed the two had not intended to kill Darrian, they "jointly attacked" him and intended to cause him "serious harm" by stabbing him in his back, front and face.

"You are young. You didn't plan to kill him. You are immature," he added.

He said Bristol is in "the middle of a plague of knife crime".

During the trial, the court was told how after the stabbing, Darrian ran from Rawnsley Park to nearby Stapleton Road, where he desperately knocked on the windows of several cars queuing at traffic lights in an attempt to get someone to take him to hospital.

He was eventually helped by Svetlozar Stanchev, a Bulgarian national who had limited English.

"He dived into my van - he said ‘start driving, I’m dying, I will die',” said Mr Stanchev.

He tried to find a police station before driving to a supermarket on West Street, Old Market, where he knew staff spoke English.

Shop staff and other members of the public tried to perform first aid before the emergency services arrived.

Despite efforts from paramedics, Darrian died on the pavement before his mother, who was rushing to the scene, could get to him.

Following searches of the park by officers, a sheath was later recovered which contained DNA belonging to both Darrian and one of the defendants.

During the trial, the court was told how moments before the attack, there was believed to be a verbal confrontation, where the Bristol BS postcodes "1-6" and "2s" - linked to gangs in the city - were exchanged.

Members of the gang are believed to wear different coloured bandana's to show their allegiance.

There was no evidence throughout the trial to suggest Darrian was linked to either group.

However, the court was told how weeks before the incident, Darrian and a friend were approached by people in balaclavas asking him if he was a member of the 1-6 gang, which is associated with the Fishponds, Hillfields and Oldbury Court areas.

The 1-2s are associated with St Pauls and St Judes.

One of the defendants told the court he started carrying a knife after a youth, unrelated to the case, had been seen with a machete in a city centre Mcdonald's restaurant six days before Darrian was killed.

Calling Darrian's killing "utterly senseless", Avon and Somerset Police Det Insp Neil Meade, said he was a typical 16-year-old boy hanging out with his friends in the park when "he was set upon".

"Darrian's family have spoken bravely about the effect his death has had on them, and they deserve a huge amount of credit for how they have dealt with what has been an unimaginably difficult 10 months for them," he added.