Family of murdered Connor Brown, 18, reunited with paramedic who tried to save him

The family of a Sunderland teenager who was murdered in a knife attack has been reunited with the paramedic who tried to save him.

Connor Brown was stabbed five times outside a pub in the city and died an hour later in hospital in 2019.

The 18-year-old was trying to break up a fight that had started between young lads in an alleyway when he was fatally stabbed in the chest.

A paramedic and two doctors drove to the city centre and were with him in less than 10 minutes.

He was given a blood transfusion, to replace the blood he had lost in the attack, before being taken to Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary. He later died from his injuries.

Connor’s mother Tanya Brown said: “Anyone who had the privilege of knowing Connor simply loved him, everyone he met warmed to his charm.

"He had a fun filled life and as short as it was, there was never a dull moment with Connor around."

"He always gave 100% in everything he set out to do and would go to the ends of the earth to help someone, whether that be a stranger or someone he loved.”

'We will be forever grateful'

Following Connor's death, his family launched the Connor Brown Trust to help young people and prevent knife crime in the community.

Mrs Brown, 42, said: “The reason we set up the trust initially was because we wanted to give something back to the community and to Sunderland as a whole for all their support.

“The aim of the trust is to raise awareness around knife crime, the dangers of knife crime and more so the impact knife crime has on families, perpetrators, and communities as a whole.

"We aim to educate as many of our young people as possible in a bid to prevent other families going through the heart-breaking day to day life we lead now without Connor."

Mrs Brown recently visited the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS), base near Eaglescliffe, alongside Connor’s dad Simon, 52, and sister Ellen, 17, where they were reunited with paramedic Marcus Johnson who came to Connor’s aid after the attack.

Mr Johnson said: “On a night-time unfortunately we attend a lot of stabbing incidents and in the case of Connor, he sadly could not be saved.

"It’s incredible to hear how the family are turning this awful situation into something positive which will benefit the local community.”

Mrs Brown praised the service as one of the "greatest".

“My son received blood from the blood on board scheme which would not have been possible years ago and also the intensive treatment that he received at the scene alone from a team of highly trained professionals in an attempt to save his life," she added.

"We will be forever grateful for the treatment our son Connor received.”

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