'The joy is gone': Parents of Olly Stephens on the loss of their 'generous and loving' son

Watch: Amanda and Stuart Stephens speak of the loss of their 'generous and loving' son Olly

The parents of Olly Stephens say the 'joy is gone' from their lives following his death.

The 13-year-old son was stabbed to death by two boys in Bugs Bottom park in Reading in January. He'd fallen out with them on social media and had been "lured" to the park by a 14-year-old girl.

He dad Stuart said: "He was a quarter of the family, but 80% of the entertainment. Now the house is empty and the house is quiet."

"You know you've got to keep going, but the joy is gone. That's the only way to put it."

They remember the moment a boy knocked on their door to tell them what had happened.

Amanda said: "I just remember running back towards the stairs, because Stuart was upstairs, and shouting 'Olly's been stabbed'.

"I remember when I got there, Stuart just fell to his knees and he was just screaming 'my boy, my boy, no'.

"I looked over and Olly was just completely lifeless."

When the guilty verdicts were read out in court for the three teenagers, Olly's parents say it was justice for him.

"That was what we wanted. We wanted justice for Olly, and so to go through that process and however hard it was, know the truth about why it had happened."

The teenager's parents would like to get involved in campaigning against knife crime in the future, but for now say they need to grieve for their son.

"He had such a big heart. He was very generous, very loving, and very caring.

"He was always coaching other kids with their problems. So I would rather they just remembered him for who he was."

"He was always talking, he was a big talker. He was very deep. He had a brain way beyond his years. He was like an old man in a boy's body.

"We're sad for the man he won't be. But we had inklings of it watching him grow up. So at least we'll have that."