Two boys and a girl aged 13 and 14 are held in custody after appearing in court on murder charge accompanied by their mothers over the fatal stabbing of 13-year-old Olly Stephens in a field near Reading
- A 13-year-old girl and two boys, aged 13 and 14 have been charged with murder
- Teenagers also been charged with conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm
- Olly Stephens, 13, was found dead near his family home in Berkshire on Sunday
- The trio are all set to appear in Reading Crown Court later this afternoon
Three schoolchildren charged with the murder of a 13-year-old boy who was stabbed to death have been remanded into custody to stand trial in June.
Olly Stephens was found stabbed in a park just 250 yards from his home in Reading on Sunday afternoon.
Today two boys, 13 and 14, and a girl, 13, who cannot be named because of their age, stood before Reading Crown Court to face the charges of murder and conspiracy to commit GBH.
The girl was also charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
The court heard how she allegedly deleted information from her mobile phone and encouraged others to delete information from their mobile phones too.
The trio, who were all accompanied by their mothers, were warned that their charges are so serious they would carry a sentence of 14 years behind bars if they were adults.
The three teenagers have been charged with the murder of Olly Stephens who died at a beauty spot near his family’s home
Police officers at the fields backing onto Reading Golf Club in Emmer Green, Berkshire
Floral tributes left outside Highdown School in Emmer Green, where Olly attended
Emergency services rushed to an open green space in Emmer Green, near Reading, Berkshire, at around 4pm on Sunday after reports of a stabbing. The park is popular with dog walkers, joggers and families.
Despite the efforts of paramedics, Olly was pronounced dead at the scene.
The park is only 250 yards from the home Olly shared with his sister, mother Amanda and father Stuart, both aged 51.
This week, Olly’s parents, Amanda and Stewart, and older sister Emilia, mourned their ‘hilariously funny, charming and beautiful’ loved one in a moving tribute.
In a statement issued through police, Olly’s family described the youngster as ‘an enigma’ who ‘could get his own way with a wry smile and a cheeky grin’.
They said: ‘An Olly-sized hole has been left in our hearts.’
The three youths appeared separately and spoke only to confirm their names, addresses, and dates of birth.
The girl and one boy were accompanied by their mothers.
Police survey the area as forensic tents were set up at Bugs Bottom in Emmer Green
During the short 10-minute hearing this afternoon at Reading Crown Court none of the defendants applied for bail and were remanded into custody in youth detention accommodation until their next appearance for a trial preparation hearing on February 4.
Judge Heather Norton told the court the trial must be prioritised over other cases because the children can only be held in custody until September 3 and because of their age.
The judge said: ‘There are two issues aren’t there? There are custody time limits which expire on September 2.
‘The second issue is the ages of the defendants and, whether custody time limits apply or not, a case with children must be dealt with as a priority so we need to have an early date.’
While many cases are being scheduled for dates over a year away, a trial date has been set for June 21.
Proceedings are expected to last around five weeks. Judge Norton also imposed a reporting restriction banning the identification of any of the three defendants.