Playground memorial for murdered boys

Playground memorial for murdered boys

Steven Wilson had denied murdering the two boys

A new playground at a Birmingham school will be dedicated to the memory of two young brothers who were brutally murdered by their father.

Brett Wilson, seven, and his brother Brad, eight, were stabbed to death with a screwdriver near a golf course in Handsworth, Birmingham, in February last year.

Their father Steven Wilson, from Great Barr, Birmingham, was sentenced to life in prison for the murders last week.

Birmingham Crown Court heard the 44-year-old killed Brad and Brett to spite his wife, Denise, after she decided to end their violent nine-year marriage.

Celebrate fun

The boys' school, Grove Vale Primary in Great Barr, had already decided to dedicate a bench to them and have planted bulbs in the shape of two Bs.

But pupils and staff also wanted to create a memorial which would celebrate the fun they used to share with their classmates.

Headmaster Andy Leivers said everyone had been "profoundly shocked" by the boys' deaths but he hoped Wilson's sentence would help them draw a line under the horror.

"There is a definite air of relief at the school now it's all over," he said.

Although the adventure playground was completed last year, the school decided to delay its formal dedication until Wilson's trial had ended.

"We want it to be a place where the pupils can remember the happy times they shared with Brad and Brett," Mr Leivers added.

The school's parents' association will meet next week to agree an appropriate date to dedicate the new playground next term.