“Our lives have been devastated,” says the father after his son was stabbed to death the day before his twentieth birthday.
19-year-old Oliver Freckleton was fatally stabbed in Burton on December 11, 2021.
His family has spoken out about how their lives have been shattered since Oliver, who died of a single stab wound shortly after becoming a parent, took his own life.
Oliver’s murder is charged against eight juveniles and one adult, all of whom deny involvement.
A father whose teenage son was fatally murdered the day before his 20th birthday claimed that the tragedy had ‘broken’ his family.
Oliver Freckleton, who had recently become a father, was fatally stabbed at a home in Burton, Staffordshire, on December 11 of last year.
In January of next year, eight juveniles and one adult are scheduled to stand trial on charges of murder. Everyone has refuted the charge.
Rob Freckleton, 49, claimed that his family was left ‘broken’ after their teenage son’s life was’stolen’ Oliver’s father, Rob Freckleton, 49, stated that his family was left ‘broken’ after their teenage son’s life was’sto
To say that our lives have been shattered would be an understatement. Mr. Freckleton stated, “I’ve never felt such pain before.”
“I had to go to the morgue to identify Oliver, and that image will stay with me for the rest of my life.
Our family has fought tremendously to accept what happened to Oliver. I do not believe that we will ever accept it. We are broken. Oliver did not lose his life; it had been stolen.’
Rob Freckleton (left) stated that his family’s lives have been ruined ever since his 19-year-old son Oliver was murdered in Burton.
As the anniversary of his son’s death approaches, Mr. Freckleton stated, ‘Oliver’s 21st birthday would have been on December 12, and I would have given a speech. I could only deliver a speech at his funeral.
Mr. Freckleton remembers the ‘overpowering feeling in my heart’ when his son Oliver was born in 2001.
He described Oliver as someone who was constantly on the move and loathed being confined indoors.
Every weekend, we embarked on “wonderful mystery excursions” in which we traveled to different areas for adventures.
“He adored vacations, and we went on a number of them; to Spanish islands, Turkey, and Egypt, but Oliver’s favorite was a caravan along the beach.
Fishing was one of Oliver’s main interests. He and his grandfather would spend the entire day at one of the numerous lakes they frequented.
Oliver grabbed the lake record for carp while on vacation with his grandparents in Cornwall.
Oliver adored sports, particularly football, where he excelled as a goalie and received numerous honors and accolades. Again, he devoted his attention to golf, which appeared to come easy to him.
He possessed an unfathomable fondness for animals. We had a greyhound named Bobby, a rabbit, budgies, many hamsters, fish, snakes, and even a tortoise. We used to make jokes about charging admission to Oliver’s zoo.
Oliver, who possessed a “infectious laugh and the largest, cheekiest smile,” was described by his father as a somebody who “lit up whatever place he entered.”
Mr. Freckleton stated, “Oliver met the love of his life during a gathering at our home, and they never looked back.”
Oliver loathed being confined indoors, and one of his greatest hobbies was fishing. Mr. Freckleton is depicted fishing with a young Oliver.
“We had never seen him so pleased before the day he told us he was going to be a father. Oliver and his fiancée were extremely frightened when they approached our home, but I could sense delight in Oliver’s eyes.
When I first saw Oliver with his daughter, I realized he shared the same sentiments as I did all those years ago.
Since then, Oliver’s family has been donating for the local Street Whyze Project, which was created to engage with local agencies to dissuade individuals from carrying and using knives.
It follows a spate of knife-related crimes in Burton and Swadlincote, including the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Benjamin Orton in an alleyway in Swadlincote.
Mr. Freckleton, who works close in Burton, stated, “We contacted the Street Whyze initiative after reading an article on their website about Oliver.
Danny [Mondesir, managing director of the Street Whyze Project] has been a consistent source of support throughout. I have collaborated with him to increase youth awareness of knife crime.
I would like to collaborate with him to educate and prevent these heinous crimes from becoming commonplace.
Mr. Freckleton has secured a £5,000 contribution from his workplace, Argos Barton, to aid in the dissemination of the message to schools and universities. In addition, he got an additional £5,000 for the Daniel Baird Foundation.
Mr. Freckleton (shown with Oliver as a child) felt a “overpowering sense” when his son was born, a sentiment he observed Oliver recreate when he became a father.
“At Oliver’s funeral, we promised him that we would be the finest possible parents to his brother and grandparents to his granddaughter,” he explained.
What could be more important than ensuring the safety of our children? Oliver made us proud; I hope he feels the same way about us.
The Street Whyze Project assists neighborhood residents who have been directly touched by knife violence by implementing focused interventions.
However, the managing director, Mr. Mondesir, stated that more must be done to eradicate knife crime.
‘Despite an increase in knife crime in both Burton and Swadlincote, we have met several obstacles when attempting to collaborate with authorities who, sadly, only appear to be acting reactively,’ he stated.
“Although the Police and Fire Commissioner, Ben Adams, and MP Kate Kniveton have been open and helpful in establishing partnership meetings at our request, it appears that things fall apart as the need for action seeps down the chain in some of the relevant organizations.”
We believe that the authorities should embrace the knowledge, assistance, experience, and counsel of local third sector agencies, as they are most suited to assist with knife crime awareness and targeted interventions.