Widow of man stabbed to death wants teen murderer to ‘live a good life’

The widow of a man who was stabbed to death outside an Asda has urged the teenage killer to “rehabilitate and live a good life”.

Ian Kirwan, 53, was knifed in the heart in Redditch, Worcestershire, after confronting a group of young people for messing about in a toilet.

A 14-year-old boy admitted stabbing Mr Kirwan in the chest on March 5 2022. He has since turned 16 and is serving a life sentence.

In her first public interview, Mr Kirwan’s widow Lyndsey said: “The last two years of my life, I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, even the defendants themselves.

“[I would say to them] do better. Ian would want them to rehabilitate. He would want them to be better people. Take a positive out of this situation, learn from it.

“Finish your education, be kind to people and be kind to yourselves. Have a future, travel, meet people, live a nice and decent life and live it to the full.

“Learn from this experience.”

In a video interview with West Mercia Police, Mrs Kirwan, 44, told how her husband had gone to the shops to buy a new bathroom light switch and pick up some food and wine when he was attacked.

She said: “He was confronted by a group of lads who were messing about.

“They approached him and a fight ensued and he was stabbed in the chest and died on the floor of Asda.

“I knew something was wrong. He wasn’t even due home and I knew something wasn’t right, I just had this feeling.

“I rang him and the police and checked the bank balance and nothing had changed. He just didn’t come home.”

After a police hunt, several teenage boys were arrested for his murder.

A 16-year-old boy - then aged 14 - who accepted inflicting the fatal blow was jailed for murder and ordered to serve a minimum term of 14 years.

Three other youths - two aged 14 and one aged 16 - were previously cleared of murder and manslaughter but found guilty of violent disorder.

A fifth boy, aged 16, was acquitted of murder, manslaughter and violent disorder.

During the ten-week trial at Birmingham Crown Court, it emerged the youths had met up at Asda with the intention of robbing a rival gang at knifepoint.

Mrs Kirwan revealed the pain and heartache of sitting through the trial and said she still suffered from daily bouts of anxiety.

She said: “Half of me died that day.

“I shouldn’t know information about how you try to resuscitate a stab wound to the chest or know information about the legal system the way I do.

“Nobody should hear these things about their husband, about their loved ones, ever.

“Carrying a knife gives you a false sense of security.

“If no one is carrying a knife, then everyone is safe.

“I would urge parents to speak to their children, look for changes in their behaviour and talk to them about the repercussions of carrying a weapon.”