One Year On: Tribute to Knifed Teen

	June 26: Martin Dinnegan, 14, was stabbed to death in Islington, north London, after being pursued by a group of up to 20 youngsters.

VIDEO TRIBUTE

Martin was a lively boy, it's a cliche but he would be the one who would always try and cheer everybody up if they were upset. He would do stupid things just to make you smile. He'll be cheeky at times but he wasn't the violent or rude type, unless he was trying to wind us up in a playful way. He was the type of boy every mum would want their daughter to bring home - polite, kind, funny, loyal, a little gentleman who was brought up nicely and had good morals.

Martin was very family orientated, his family were and still are very close. Even with this tragedy they have managed to stay strong for each other. He and his family had moved from Glasgow when he was just 3 to start a new life, away from the violent streets of Glasgow. Sadly 11 years later he was stabbed to death on the streets of London.
 
Martin's mum Lorraine was always protective over him and his 3 younger siblings, she would always make sure he was in safe hands as he was 3 years younger than the rest of us. Martin's two older brothers would always keep him in check as well. For example, if we had got into an argument over something petty like a football with another group of kids, they would always make sure Martin sorted it out in a verbal way, never physical.

Martin attended St.Aloysius in Islington and was a very good, academic pupil. He wasn't the type to bunk or disrupt classes but his dream was to become an engineer. He had a wealth of friends, many people liked him, he had no known enemies. We would sometimes walk back from school together.
 
Martin was the type who used to pull us back if we tried getting onto a bus before an old person. He would give up his seat for women and old people, he was a sweety. We would often play football with kids from other areas, and being the only girl, some of the boys from the other areas could be a bit rough and Martin would always stick up for me if a boy were to foul me or shout at me. He was very loyal to his close friends. His best friend Jonny was the same, as long as they were around, I always felt safe because I knew they would always be there. Jonny was a big influence on Martin, they were like brothers, they were like the brothers i never had. We would spend everyday together.
 
The day of Martin's death, he was on his way to a nearby park on a bus with some friends going to meet some girls, when they apparently exchanged looks with another group of boys who were on bikes. These boys followed the bus and confronted Martin when he got off at his stop. There was a bit of an argument but Martin walked away. Later on, the boys on bikes came back with others, one of which was brandishing a screwdriver. Martin sensed he was in danger and ran - managing to outrun them for quite a bit - until one of them caught up with him, knocked him to the ground and pinned him down until the other boys caught up. They then beat him as he tried to protect himself, throwing a few punches of his own until a 16 year old boy came up behind him and fatally stabbed him. They then cycled off leaving him to die in the middle of the road.
 
Since his death, a shrine to Martin has remained at the spot where he died but a memorial garden has also been created in his memory near a local youth club, which he loved. Some of the boys have made a bench for him with an engraved picture of Martin along with a plaque, which has a few words written on it and a recent picture of Martin!

His family have remained strong despite everything, his mum is lovely and trully amazing! Both Lorraine and Jim should be proud of the son they raised for 14 years. He trully was a lovely, happy-go-lucky cheeky boy and I'm glad I spent as much time with him as I did.

ALEX JONSON, Friend of Martin Dinnegan