Campaigner Richard Taylor passed away following a battle with
cancer (Image: Steve Parsons/PA Wire) Get the latest Scottish crime and courts news sent straight to your inbox with our daily Criminal Record newsletter More Newsletters Subscribe Please enter a valid email Something went wrong, please try again later. More Newsletters We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info Thank you for subscribing! We have more newsletters Show me See Our Privacy Notice See Our Privacy Notice × Group 28 Get the latest Scottish crime and courts news sent straight to your inbox with our daily Criminal Record newsletter Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign Up No thanks, close We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info × Group 28 Thank you for subscribing! We have more newsletters Show Me No thanks, close See our Privacy Notice The dad of tragic Damilola Taylor has died at the age of 75, his family have confirmed. Richard Taylor OBE dedicated years to improving the lives of underprivileged kids after his 10-year-old son’s murder in November 2000. The former Nigerian civil servant, who set up the Damilola Taylor Trust to campaign against knife crime , passed away in the early hours of this morning, following a long battle with cancer. A statement issued on behalf of his family said: “It is with a heavy heart that the family announce the death of our beloved father, grandfather and uncle, Mr Richard Adeyemi Taylor OBE, who sadly passed away in the early hours of Saturday, March 23, at
Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich, after a prolonged battle with prostate cancer.” Read More Related Articles
police launch desperate search for missing siblings who are banned from being in parents' care Read More Related Articles Edinburgh tram and car crash at busy junction as police lock down road Damilola was left bleeding to death in a stairwell in Peckham, south-east London, after he was attacked and slashed with a broken bottle on his way home from a library. After three crown court trials, his two killers, brothers Ricky and Danny Preddie, were finally put behind bars. Richard said wanted his son to be remembered as a boy of hope and for his legacy to be a better life and opportunities for disadvantaged youngsters. Richard and his late wife Gloria were spurred on to set up a charity in their son’s memory in the face of the tragedy of his death. Gloria died in 2008 after suffering a heart attack and Richard continued their work in the following years. They were supported by famous faces including footballer Rio Ferdinand, who grew up in Peckham and backed the family in their charity work. Damilola Taylor was murdered at the age of just 10 in Peckham (Image: PA)
Star Wars Actor John Boyega was a childhood friend of Damilola and he and his sister Grace were among the last people to see the 10-year-old alive before he walked home on the day he was murdered. Tributes were paid on Saturday to Richard, who was made OBE in 2011 for his campaigning against violence. The Damilola Taylor Trust was launched in 2001 after Mr and Mrs Taylor met Charles, who was then the Prince of Wales, with the aim “to provide a legacy of hope and opportunity for disadvantaged and under-privileged young people”. The charity
UK Youth has supported the trust for many years and was a founding member in 2020 of the Hope Collective, an alliance working to end poverty and discrimination in the most vulnerable communities. Richard Taylor and his wife, Gloria, who passed away in 2008 (Image: Chris Young/PA Wire) Chief executive Ndidi Okezie said: “Everyone at UK Youth is truly saddened to learn of the passing of Richard. He was an incredible man who made a real difference to so many young people’s lives. “Richard was a dear friend to me and UK Youth. We were thrilled to work alongside Richard with the Hope Collective, working to establish real change and reduce poverty, violence and discrimination among the UK’s most vulnerable communities, and celebrating young people’s hopes for the future on the Day of Hope, on Damilola’s birthday, December 7, each year. “We send our heartfelt condolences to Richard’s close family, including his daughters Gbemi and Florence and son Tunde, and
Friends, Richard will be hugely missed. “We commit to continuing his and Damilola’s legacy of hope and working with others to improve the lives of young people from the most vulnerable communities.” Top news stories today Gangland enforcer caught with sim card Bungling activists facing jail Disposable vape ban plea Death in Paradise actor quits Mr Taylor supported a march against knife crime in central
London in 2008 that was attended by thousands of young people and was led by the Ben Kinsella Trust, founded by former EastEnders
Actress Brooke Kinsella, whose 16-year-old brother Ben was stabbed to death in Islington. She said: “Richard’s courage in the face of unimaginable grief was an inspiration to me. After the horrific loss of his son Damilola, he chose to channel his pain into a fight for a safer future. "He turned tragedy into a relentless determination to keep other families from experiencing the same heartbreak. Richard became a close friend and confidant after Ben’s murder, sharing his strength and unwavering belief in justice.” Join the Daily Record
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