Stab victim's mother speaks out

Liam Attwell's mother spoke of her pity for his killer's family

The mother of a man murdered as he tried to stop a gang robbing a teenager of his mobile phone says she feels 'desperately sad' for his killer.

Liam Attwell was murdered when he tried to intervene in a mobile phone robbery in Bristol last October.

The 25-year-old chef was stabbed in the chest and died three days later in hospital without regaining consciousness.

Brian Grady, 17, was ordered to be detained indefinitely for his murder, and the judge ruled he should serve at least 11 years.

'Brutally killed'

But on Wednesday Mr Attwell's mother said she was angry at her son's death, but felt pity for Grady's family.

Roisin Reddick told the BBC: "I feel desperately sad for Brian Grady.

Liam Attwell died trying to help a group of teenagers

"It is all very well for me to be sitting here saying how horrible that someone else's son is going to be in prison for 11 years, but honestly, I feel horrified.

She added: "Anybody who is a parent whose child is brutally killed is going to be angry - I'm furious, really furious, that my son isn't here, not for a minute would I deny that.

"But it isn't easy being a parent - so how could I feel anything but compassion?"

Ms Reddick called for something to be done to ensure young people in Bristol have enough to do to keep them off the streets.

She said: "Why can't they invest money in a decent programme of legal, adventurous, creative things for our young people to do?"