A detective who worked on the Owen Dunn stabbing investigation has heavily praised the family of the teenage victim for how they handled themselves throughout his murder trial. 

This comes after 18-year-old Tyler Hunt and a 15-year-old who cannot be named for legal reasons were sentenced to over 30 years in jail between them for the fatal stabbing of 18-year-old Owen on December 4, 2022.

Detective Sergeant Louise Kuklinski welcomed the sentencing but was keen to also pay tribute to the young man's family who she said conducted themselves impeccably throughout the two-week trial despite the extremely distressing circumstances. 

She said: "I would like to pay huge tribute to Owen’s family particularly Owen’s mum Zoe and Owen’s grandmother Trish, for the way in which they sat every day and listened to fine-grain detail of what happened to Owen on that day,

"And the way in which they coped and came back day after day to continue to listen to what must have been such harrowing detail.

"I feel that they should be very proud of the dignified way in which they represented Owen Dunn."

The two defendants were found guilty of Owen's murder in December at a sentencing hearing on January 5, Hunt, of Park South, was sentenced to a minimum term of 19 years in jail and the 15-year-old boy was sentenced to a minimum term of 12 years.

Owen's friends and loved ones turned out in force for the moment- many of whom wore clothes featuring the logo of the Owen's World charity set up in his memory – and several wept during the trial's conclusion.

In her final remarks, the judge paid tribute to the determination and composure of Owen’s family during the aftermath of “a truly ghastly crime”,

DS Kuklinski went on to praise the family for their response to the crime in setting up the anti-knife crime charity Owen's World. 

She said: "They have taken this tragedy and made Owen’s World – I think Owen’s family’s response is amazing."

Owen's World has introduced a number of initiatives to lessen the impact of growing knife crime figures in Swindon. 

This includes the introduction of the Owen's Shed programme, which repurposes and rehomes unwanted garden sheds and finds them a new home as a safe space for teenagers. 

The organisation has also helped install a number of potentially life-saving bleed kits in the Swindon area.