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Lorraine and James Dinnegan: ‘We feel there’s an emptiness, a big space in our life. We’re left bewildered’ |
‘Let children view film of our murdered son’s last seconds’
Parents of stabbed boy call for CCTV of his flight from gang to be released
CCTV footage of schoolboy Martin Dinnegan fleeing from a gang seconds before his fatal stabbing should be shown to schoolchildren across the country, his parents told the Tribune this week.
In a bid to shock young people out of carrying knives, Martin’s parents, Lorraine and James Dinnegan, want teenagers to see the footage of their son pleading for help as he is pursued by a baying mob of attackers.
At the Old Bailey on Friday, a 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named, was found guilty of Martin’s murder and another teenager was convicted of attempted grievous bodily harm. Two others accused of murder were cleared by a jury after four hours of deliberation
Mr and Mrs Dinnegan, of Evershot Road, in Finsbury Park, have asked police to take the unusual step of releasing footage of the seconds before their 14-year-old son was stabbed to death at the junction of Tollington Way and Axminster Road, Holloway, in June last year.
Mr Dinnegan, a stonemason, said: “Martin was running for his life. If they don’t get the point from that I don’t know what’s going to work.”
His wife said that taking offenders to see victims in hospital – an idea now being downplayed by the government – would fail. “They already see these images on TV and computer games,” she said. “To carry a knife shows a level of immaturity. You don’t know how they will react when they visit someone in hospital, they may just laugh.”
The Dinnegans left the crime-ridden streets of Glasgow to make a better life for their six children in Islington. Eleven years later Martin was stabbed to death in the street as he fled a gang of youths, following an earlier exchange of “dirty looks” with Martin’s friends.
Mrs Dinnegan, 41, a nutritionist, said: “We moved from drugs and crime in Glasgow. There was a lot of deprivation. The children settled in schools here. It was a really nice area. The children felt safe.
“We’ve never worried about them because we’ve always been confident about how we brought them up. But when they go out we’re helpless to control who they come across.”
The Dinnegans attended every day of the five-week trial, except when details of Martin’s injuries were read out in court. Mrs Dinnegan said: “We felt we had to be there, it was our duty.”
The family have tried to find a level of normality but Mrs Dinnegan said: “We feel there’s an emptiness, a big space in our life. We’re left bewildered. I don’t think we’ll ever understand why young people want to commit these senseless acts. There’s no winners.”
She added: “Martin’s birthday was in January. I had to lock myself away that day. I hadn’t intended to but that was the effect.”
Mrs Dinnegan blamed street violence on “a lack of moral values for another human being”. She added: “This begins at home. The government has to deal with the whole family.
“Everybody’s got a part to play. They say they care but they shut their door. When this happened to Martin there were 60 people in the area. If they had stood up to them it might have been a different situation.”
Martin, who hoped to become an engineer, was sporty, loved pool and visiting Cornwallis youth club nearby. The club has put up a memorial plaque and his friends have built a bench in his memory.
Mr Dinnegan said: “It was a safe haven. He was such a funny boy, always the one cracking jokes in the house. He was very charming and popular with the girls.”
The family will never forget the day of the stabbing. Mrs Dinnegan said: “There was total shock and numbness. It didn’t seem real. Martin was kept in the street for hours afterwards because of forensics.”
Mr Dinnegan described feeling helpless as he watched paramedics work on Martin, adding: “We were told not to touch him because of the forensics. He couldn’t even move, let alone speak. It felt like hours but it was only minutes before he died. My immediate thoughts were let him live, give him one more chance.
“It was a pointless killing. You never think they’ll come across someone who’s going to kill them in the street.”
Martin’s brother James, 21, said: “Young people need to start listening. The government should bring in harsh punishments if you’re carrying a knife. They should be brought to the morgue and shown the body. They are saying bring them to hospitals but it’s too late because by then they’ve already stabbed someone.
“They’ve already seen a stabbing victim.”
Of his brother, he said: “He never deserved what he got. He was a smart guy.”
Teenager’s self-defence claim rejected
A TEENAGER from Holloway has been found guilty of the murder of schoolboy Martin Dinnegan, writes David St George.
The 16-year-old claimed self-defence, which the Old Bailey jury rejected.
He and a 17-year-old from Islington – they cannot be identified at this stage – will be sentenced by the Common Serjeant of London, Judge Brian Barker, QC, on August 8.
The 17-year-old was cleared of murder but convicted of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm by using a screwdriver to stab the schoolboy in Tollington Way, Holloway, on June 26 last year.
Two others in the dock were cleared of murder and discharged.
Rene John-Baptiste, 21, of Plaistow, east London, who also has an address in Axminster Road, Holloway, and Sean Clark, 19, also of Axminster Road, denied wanting to harm Martin.
Martin pleaded for help as he was chased by a mob of up to 15 before being knifed four times in the back.
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