Heartache of family over death of teenager 10 years on

Today, will mark 10 years since teenager Glen Corner's life was cruelly snatched away by anoher teeneger armed with a knife.
Glen CornerGlen Corner
Glen Corner

The 16-year-old had been on his way home after being out with friends when he was stabbed in East Avenue in Harton.

The brave teen had stepped in to protect a friend who was being threatened but instead ending up receiving a fatal wound which claimed his life.

Glen CornerGlen Corner
Glen Corner
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Since that night his devastated family have been campaigning tirelessly to raise awareness of the dangers of knives and the devastating impact knives can have on families.

Following Glen’s death, they launched the Glen Corner Trust to support other families affected by knife crime.

The trust also looks at ways in which to highlight the knife crime message to young people in a desperate bid to stop other families from going through the same heartache and pain they have to endure each and every day.

A campaign his family ran in conjunction with the Gazette raising awareness of the dangers of carrying knives and calling for an automatic jail term for those caught armed with bladed weapons also received praise from the then home secretary Vernon Coaker.

Glen Corner as a youngsterGlen Corner as a youngster
Glen Corner as a youngster
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He described the Knives Ruin Lives campaign as “the sort of community initiative we need” after it was raised in the House of Commons by Jarrow and Hebburn MP Stephen Hepburn.

The following year, our call for tougher sentences for those caught carrying a knife moved a step closer when new sentencing guidelines were issued to magistrates advising the starting point for an adult caught carrying a knife should be 12 weeks in jail if they don’t own up to the offence and plead guilty in court.

Glen’s grandmother Pat McDougall along with David Charlton’s sister Gemma Maughan, who sought the support of the trust following the death of her brother who was stabbed to death in Stanhope Road, are also set to visit schools in South Tyneside as part of a joint venture with police and the youth offending service to talk to young people of the impact knife crime can have on lives.

His gran Pat McDougall said: “I can’t say enough to people, don’t carry knives. If you have a knife on you, you are intending to use it.

Pat McDougallPat McDougall
Pat McDougall
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“Since the Glen Corner Trust was launched we have been able to help 22 families. We are glad we are able to help them but it’s also sad that we know they are going through what we are going through, as we know they will never get over it.

“We are glad something positive has come from Glen’s death and glad of what we have achieved, it does give us all some comfort.

“But no matter what we do, it’s just not Glen, nothing will never bring him back.”