Four teens arrested for ‘attempted murder’ after boy, 14, stabbed

Victim and suspects thought to be known to one another

Four teenage boys have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after the stabbing of a 14-year-old boy on in Oxford.

Officers from Thames Valley Police were called around 4pm on Tuesday by the South Central Ambulance Service to reports of an attack in the Blackbird Leys area.

The wounded boy was located in Coltsfoot Square after being stabbed in an incident on Samphire Road some 600 yards away.

He was taken to hospital and remained in a stable condition on Wednesday morning.

Two 16-year-old boys from Oxford were arrested on Tuesday afternoon and a 15-year-old and 16-year-old boy were arrested later.

All remained in custody on Wednesday.

Blackbird Leys is a large parish on the outskirts of Oxford (Nigel Cox)

Police said they believe the four arrested boys and the victim knew one another.

An investigation by Thames Valley Police remained open after the arrests though officers said they were not looking for any more suspects, only witnesses.

Superintendent Bruce Riddell, the local policing area commander for Oxford, said: “We are continuing to investigate the circumstance of this incident and we have now made four arrests.

“We are appealing for witnesses to this incident that happened just before 4pm in Samphire Road, Blackbird Leys. I would urge anybody who witnessed the incident to please contact 101, quoting incident reference 1477 (14/6).

“At this time we are not looking for anyone else in connection with this incident and we believe the victim and the offenders were known to each other.

“However this is a concerning incident which involves young people being involved in serious violence. It remains a priority for myself and the Force to divert young people away from such violence.

He added: “As a result of this incident, our neighbourhood policing teams will be patrolling the area and I would urge anyone with any concerns or information to please speak to them.”