The mother of a teenager who was fatally stabbed in the chest while trying to defuse an argument says it is a “relief” to finally be able to name his killer.
Ben Moncrieff, 18, bled to death on the pavement after being attacked outside a McDonald’s in Bath, Somerset, in May 2023.
The identity of his 15-year-old killer was concealed for legal reasons, but since he turned 18 on 13 September, he has been publicly named as Aiden Lai.
Sharon Hendry, Ben’s mum, is calling for reporting restrictions to be lifted on minors found guilty of murder to hopefully act as a “deterrent” for knife crime.
Lai, from south London, was found guilty of murder in October 2023 and was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 15 years.
“I’ve waited over two years for this opportunity to say ‘Aiden Lai committed this crime and stole Ben’s life’,” Ms Hendry said.
“It gives me that freedom to speak. It’s a real relief, it’s empowering.”
Ms Hendry said being able to freely name her son’s killer is “empowering” [BBC]
The two teenagers did not know one another and police later said Ben “happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time”.
Mark Cotter KC, prosecuting, said: “The defendant entered into an argument with a friend of Mr Moncrieff and Mr Moncrieff entered as a peacemaker.”
Children appearing in youth or crown courts in England and Wales – whether as a victim, witness or defendant – cannot be identified if they are under the age of 18.
But Ms Hendry said this legal clause only enables killers to “hide behind their age”.
“He took to the stand in a school uniform to look younger, to play on his age, and that kept him hidden from the public eye,” she said.
“It just felt so wrong, like the law was more on his side than our side.”
Ben Moncrieff was murdered while trying to intervene in a heated argument [Family Handout]
She added that Lai, whom she described as a “dangerous individual” with “no regard for human life”, will be eligible for parole at the age of 30.
“Knife crime needs a stronger stance,” she said. “Perpetrators need to be named and sentences need to be longer.
“We need to deter young men from going out with knives. We need to identify people who do this and say ‘if you commit this crime, you are going to be named’.”
Earlier that day, Ben had got his first tattoo of their family dog Barney, and was keen to go out and show it off to friends [Family Handout]
Ms Hendry says she is “haunted every single minute of every day” imagining the pain and terror her son endured in his final moments.
After receiving a frantic call from his girlfriend in the early hours of the morning to say Ben had been stabbed, Ms Hendry rushed to his side – but was too late.
“I didn’t have time to speak to him, hold his hand, tell him I love him or anything,” she said.
“He died on the pavement in the street, surrounded by distraught friends. I can’t think of a worse nightmare.”
Ben would have celebrated his 21st birthday today [Family Handout]
Today, Ben Moncrieff should have been celebrating his 21st birthday with friends.
Instead, his grieving loved ones will gather to release a balloon tribute in his memory.
“When he took Ben, he took me with him. It has destroyed my life. When this happens you don’t live anymore, you just exist,” Ms Hendry said.
“Hopefully Ben’s loved ones can feel some sort of justice by Aiden Lai having his anonymity lifted. I feel this monster did not deserve to be protected.”
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