Detectives are investigating whether Oliver Stephens, a schoolboy, might have been lured to a beauty spot near his home where his killers confronted him.
The police searched the phones and computers belonging to Oliver and the young suspects last night in an effort to ascertain any potential motive for the shocking killing in the heart of central England.
On suspicion of a plot to kill Oliver, a girl, and four boys, all aged 13 and 14, are under investigation. On Jan. 3, in Bugs Bottom fields, Emmer Green, on the outskirts of Reading, Berks, was found dying from stab wounds just before 4 pm.
The crime scene is just 250 yards from the detached leafy home where he lived with parents Amanda and Stuart Stephens and older sister Emilia.
The parents of Oliver, both aged 51, were too distraught to speak yesterday.
On social media, Sister Emilia, 16, paid tribute to her younger brother, saying: “I’m so sorry I failed you, I wish I could have saved you from it all.
“We will get justice for you, my angel.”
Yesterday, a cordon was in place immediately in front of the family home within a large field as police performed forensic searches of the property.
In the Reading area, the four teens under arrest were all held. They raided their homes and confiscated computers and phones for questioning.
Detective Superintendent Kevin Brown, head of Thames Valley Police’s Major Crime Unit, said: “This remains a very active investigation and a large scene-watch remains in place.”
He added: “Our thoughts remain with Olly’s family at this incredibly difficult time.
“I would urge anyone who has any information that they believe is relevant to this investigation, no matter how small you think it is, to please get in touch.”
IT manager Igor Samoylenko, 45, who has a daughter at the school, said: “It is truly terrible.”
The nearby church of St Barnabas opened its doors to locals who called to ask if they could come in and say a prayer for Oliver.
Reverend Derek Chandler said: “There is just an overwhelming feeling of shock and sadness from everyone in the community.
“It just shows that terrible things can happen anywhere and people have been left very distressed by it.”
In a quiet semi-rural town, Oliver’s fatal stabbing follows a rash of murders carried out by children on young victims elsewhere in the world.
Retired Met Police detective chief inspector Mick Neville said: “We have all become too used to murder, especially in London, where the age of suspects and victims seems to get younger all the time.
“But I am still shocked to see the tragic death of a thirteen-year-old in Reading in the Royal county of Berkshire.
“It is a place more associated with the pomp and ceremony of Windsor Castle and the fun of Legoland, rather than brutal fatal stabbings of children by children.”
He went on: “We are dealing with a lost generation. Due to lockdown, vulnerable kids from chaotic families have missed months of school, with youth groups shut down.
“Kids also have easy access to video games and rap music, which glamorise violence and knife crime.
“YouTube and other social media sites are used by violent gangs to brag about their activities and it is easy for youngsters to be influenced by them.
“Social media can also be used to incite others to violence.”
Source: The Sun UK
