16 year old charged over stab death

9 May 2010, 18:54 | Updated: 11 May 2010, 12:52

A 16 year old appeared in court charged with murdering a man who died of stab wounds he suffered outside Oxford's Westgate Shopping Centre.

The teenager appeared before Oxford Crown Court on the 10th May, and has been remanded in custody to appear before Oxford Youth Court until Wednesday 12th May. He cannot be named for legal reasons.

Police say there was a fight at the junction of Queen Street and Castle Street, outside Que Pasa at 3am on Saturday 8 May 2010.

Blayne Ridgeway, from the Donnington Bridge area of the city died shortly after at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital, where he was declared dead.

Det Insp Simon Morton said:

“I would like to reassure the community of Oxford that we have a team of Major Crime officers working on this case. We will also be stepping up patrols this weekend and working with our partners and licensed premises to make sure people feel safe when going out in the city.

Operation Blunt, Thames Valley Police’s anti-knife crime initiative, has been running since 2007. In Oxfordshire we have been working closely with licensed premises and schools to highlight that knife crime won’t be tolerated in the city.

Our Nightsafe initiative, which involves close partnership working around the night-time economy in Oxford, uses knife arches outside premises to prevent people taking weapons into bars and clubs.

We have also worked closely with schools to inform and educate pupils about the consequences of carrying knives.

“I would like warn anyone who carries a knife, or is thinking about it – you are running the risk of getting caught, being put before a court, and sent to prison for up to four years.”

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