The parents of a 16-year-old boy stabbed to death in Greater Manchester have made a heartfelt plea for information on the one-year anniversary of his murder.
Kennie Carter was fatally stabbed in the chest on Thirlmere Avenue in Stretford on January 22 last year.
His mother described how the death of a child “rips you apart”, and said her family have not been able to get any closure because no-one has been convicted for his killing.
Since Kennie’s death, 12 teenagers aged between 13 and 18 have been arrested on suspicion of murder, Greater Manchester Police said.
The teenagers have been released under investigation while inquiries continue, the force added.
Speaking in a new video appeal released on the anniversary of his death, Kennie’s mother Joan Dixon described him as a “fun” son, while his father Glen Carter said he had been a “cheeky chappy”.
Ms Dixon said: “It’s just not the same without Kennie here, just can’t move on. It’s been really hard because obviously we’ve had Christmas. It’s hard, it’s a year, but it doesn’t feel like a year – it feels like it was only yesterday. It’s so raw still.
“He was fun. He was. He liked his PlayStation, he liked food. He liked to sleep a lot – a lot of sleep. But I always knew where he was if he was asleep.”
Mr Carter said: “(He was) a cheeky chappy lad – he always has been and he always was. A normal 16-year-old boy.”
You can imagine if it was your child how heart-breaking it would be not to have your son there every day. It rips you apart— Kennie's mother, Joan Dixon
Ms Dixon spoke of the additional difficulty of there being no closure, as she urged anyone with any shred of information to contact police.
She said: “We’re a year on and we’ve had no closure. There must be somebody out there with just even a small bit of information (that) may help. If you do have any information, please just do the right thing.
“You can imagine if it was your child how heart-breaking it would be not to have your son there every day. It rips you apart.
“So if anybody has just got the slightest bit of information, anything, even if you don’t think it’s anything, it might be a little missing piece that the police need. They need help and we need somebody to come forward and do the right thing for Kennie.
“He was a good lad, he deserves justice. He should still be here.”
On Friday, police announced they were offering a £50,000 reward for anyone who can provide key information that leads to a charge and conviction in the murder investigation.
Information can be shared with police by calling 0161 856 9908 or 101 quoting incident 2529, while footage or images from the night can be submitted to an online police portal.
