Mother wins fight to remove flat

Christopher Cave died from stab wounds in

A mother has won her battle to have the Teesside flat where her son was murdered demolished.

Chris Cave, 17, died after being stabbed in June 2003 in a flat in Redcar, which was just 20 yards from his mother's home.

His mother Theresa has waged an eight-month campaign to have the flat knocked down.

Now housing association Coast & Country has decided to remove the flat and is also looking at setting up a memorial.

Mrs Cave said: "I was annoyed it took so long, all the heartache it has caused is unbelievable.

"But I am relieved that Chris will be laid to rest now in my eyes."

She said she had received a lot of support from the community.

She said: "It's amazing who you live near and you don't realise. They have been absolutely fantastic. I thank them all from the bottom of my heart."

A Coast & Country Housing Association spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that the flat that Mrs Cave has complained about will be removed. We have been in regular contact with her and she is willing to join a residents' forum which is being created to help us plan the way ahead.

"In particular, we want to discuss the possibility of creating a memorial to Chris on this site, which is a key point of access to the estate."