The family of a young Fife man who was murdered with a kitchen knife have highlighted the dangers of carrying and using weapons.
Sean Stark was murdered on May 31 last year in Lochgelly and since his death his family have organised various charity events with a view to raising public awareness of knife crime.
Over the course of these events the family raised £700 and approached Chief Inspector Ross Bennet of Cowdenbeath police station, with a view to donating the money to the independent charity Crimestoppers.
Mary Stark, Sean’s mum, explained the consequences of people using knives.
“Losing Sean in such tragic circumstances has left a big hole in the family and I plead to people of all ages, please do not carry knives,” she said.
“I don’t want another family going through what we have.
“I hope that raising awareness will encourage people to phone Crimestoppers or the local police with information about people carrying knives.
“I would like to thank everyone for their support and kind donations that have allowed us to donate £700 to Crimestoppers.
“Please help the police to stop another family losing a loved one from knife crime.”
Kate Johnston, Crimestoppers national manager, added, “We are really grateful for the family’s donation.Devastating”It will be put to good use and will make a real difference in helping to educate young people throughout Fife that they must not carry knives and the devastating effects on them and their friends if they do.”
Mr Bennet said, “Sean’s family deserve great credit for the money they have raised, each charity event was a very emotional time for the family and the impact on them and the community is still significant.
“The money they have raised will now be used by Crimestoppers to fund a campaign aimed to educate youths about the consequences of carrying knives and to highlight the devastation carrying them can cause.”
John Blake (22) was found guilty after trial of murdering Sean with a kitchen knife outside his home in Main Street, Lochgelly.
He was told he must serve a minimum of 17 years before applying for parole.
Blake repeatedly stabbed Mr Stark after he had stepped in to help his neighbour James Black in a street fight.BleedingThe father-of-two was left bleeding to death in the middle of the road outside his Lochgelly home.
Blake fled the scene, dumped the knife and his clothes, and later claimed he had acted in self-defence.
At the High Court in Aberdeen, a jury took three hours to find him guilty of murder by a majority verdict after a five-day trial.
Lord Bonomy sentenced Blake to life and told him, “You armed yourself with a knife and attacked a person who posed no serious threat to you.
“You inflicted six stab wounds, three of which could have killed Mr Stark, and one of which penetrated the lung and heart twice.
“These events are a graphic illustration of what can happen on the streets of Scotland on a Saturday night when young men fuelled with alcohol go out armed seeking confrontation.
“This left a gaping hole in the lives of Sean Stark’s family and the lives of others he touched.”
Melanie Stewart, Mr Stark’s partner, had said, “It’s been devastating for the whole family, every single one of us.”