Margaret Oakes, a mother from Wymondham, received the tragic news that her 18-year-old son, Raymond James Quigley, had been stabbed in broad daylight in Ipswich on January 17. Unfortunately, there were no bleed control kits available at the time to save her son’s life. Devastated but determined, Mrs Oakes has now pledged to help implement measures that could potentially save lives in the future. With the assistance of the Norfolk Accident Rescue Service (Nars) and Lynne Baird, who had been campaigning for bleed control kits, the first kit will be placed behind the bar of the Robert Kett pub in Wymondham. Mrs Oakes selected this location because her son frequented the pub and was acquainted with one of the employees. The kit will be installed on October 21, which is just two days before the nine-month anniversary of Raymond’s death.
To support the goal of providing more control kits and cabinets for the city, a GoFundMe campaign has been set up. Mrs Oakes hopes that this initiative will help keep her son’s memory alive. She believes that by working towards saving lives in Raymond’s name, she can find purpose in the midst of her grief. Mrs Oakes expresses that this endeavor is something her son would have done himself and she hopes that he would be proud of their efforts.
Raymond James Quigley’s death was a result of four stab wounds to the torso, determined by a Home Office post-mortem examination. Two 18-year-olds from Suffolk, Alfie Hammett and Joshua Howell, were arrested and charged with murder shortly after the incident. They have been in remand at a youth detention center while awaiting trial, which is scheduled to begin on December 11, 2023. However, on June 20, an 18-year-old man from Norwich and a 16-year-old boy from the Fenland area in Cambridgeshire were also arrested on suspicion of murder. They were both questioned and subsequently released on bail pending further investigation.
In summary, Margaret Oakes, the mother of Raymond James Quigley, who was tragically stabbed to death earlier this year, is taking action to prevent similar incidents from occurring. Determined to save lives, she is advocating for the introduction of bleed control kits and has successfully arranged for one to be installed in a local pub. She hopes that this effort will honor her son’s memory and potentially save lives in the future. The individuals responsible for Raymond’s death have been arrested and charged with murder, with their trial set to begin in December 2023.
