OLLY Stephens was a 13-year-old boy who was tragically murdered by three of teenagers.
His story will be explored in ITV’s series Social Media Murders, which examines killings where social media played a key role.
Growing up in Berkshire
Olly was born on November 1, 2007, and grew up in Emmer Green, Berkshire.
He was diagnosed with autism at the age of 13 and was also suspected to have pathological demand avoidance (PDA).
PDA is characterised by a compulsive need to resist authority and expectations.
Sadly, on January 3, 2021, Olly was fatally stabbed to death near his home.
Olly’s tragic murder
Olly was tricked into going to Bugs Bottom field in Reading by two boys, who had a “grievance” with him, and a girl.
He believed that he was meeting the girl alone – a girl who was revealed to have said “I’m so excited” before the attack – but was ambushed.
The younger boy stabbed Olly when he tried to fight back, with all three assailants then fleeing the scene.
In court, it was revealed to the jury that Olly’s killers had sent sinister messages about the 13-year-old to each other in the days leading up to the stabbing.
An off-duty nurse witnessed the stabbing and gave first aid to Olly, after calling an ambulance to save him.
Paramedics performed CPR on him for half an hour, but he sadly died en route to hospital.
Two hours after Olly’s death, one of his attackers sent a text message to a friend, that confirmed his role in the murder.
The message read: “Boy it was me and my boy innit. I started slapping him up and then my boy backed out and then shanked him.”
The younger attacker sent a message that described the stabbing as “the biggest mistake of my life”.
Olly’s killers face justice
Both boys were quickly identified with 90 per cent of the evidence against them being taken from mobile phone data.
The girl involved in the attack pleaded guilty to manslaughter and perverting the course of justice, as it was revealed that she deleted incriminating data from her phone.
She was later handed a three-year and two-month sentence in a Young Offenders Institution.
The boys were convicted of murder on July 26, 2021, with the older boy receiving an additional conviction of perverting the course of justice.
However, the younger boy received a longer sentence due to being the person to stab Olly, which meant he was slapped with a 14-year sentence.
The older boy was jailed for 13 years.
Coming face-to-face with his son’s killers in court in September 2021, Olly’s dad Stuart relived the horrifying moment he sprinted to find his son dying.
He said: “The cruel actions of a vain, selfish girl has led to Olly being trapped and slain.
“The day she walked into his life is a day we will forever regret.
“We as a family hold all three of you equally accountable for his death, there will be no forgiveness from us, ever.
“We are no longer the people we were and we will never be the same again.”
Olly’s family also paid tribute to him in a statement issued by Thames Valley Police.
It said: “Oliver was an enigma, having both Autism and suspected Pathological Demand Avoidance, he became a challenge we never shied away from.
“He was hilariously funny, charming and beautiful.”
In June 2022, Stuart told BBC Panorama: “They hunted him, tracked him and executed him through social media.
“Social media is not guilty of the murder, but it did nothing to protect him.
“Without it, he’d still be here.”
Social Media Murders
Oly’s tragic death will be explored in The Murder of Olly Stephens: Social Media Murders.
The episode will feature exclusive interviews with the people who helped bring Olly’s killers to justice and will take viewers behind the scenes into how social media played a role in the killing.
Viewers can catch the episode when it airs at 9pm on ITV2.
