Ian Kirwin was stabbed to death by a gang of teenagers in an Asda car park.
Unless you have been there, it is hard to imagine the grief of a woman widowed by murder.
It’s even harder to imagine finding it within yourself to offer helpful life advice to the killer.
But that’s exactly what Lyndsey Kirwan has done while describing what happened when her husband, Ian, was stabbed in the heart by a 14-year-old boy.
Speaking for the first time since losing her ‘best friend and other half’, 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 husand, about their loved ones, ever.’
Ian was murdered on March 5, 2022, when he went to the shops for a new bathroom light switch, some food and wine in Redditch, Worcestershire.
Lynsey, 44, 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.’
His killer, a 16-year-old serving a 14-year prison sentence, admitted to inflicting the fatal blow. He was part of a pack – three others were found guilty of violent disorder.
They had intended to meet at the Asda where Ian died with the intention of robbing a rival gang at knifepoint.
But despite facing unimaginable pain and heartache, despite the daily anxiety she still suffers, Lyndsey only has remarkable words for her husband’s killer and his gang.
Speaking with remarable humility, she 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 fullest. Learn from this experience.’
She concluded: ‘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.’
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