Heartbroken Mansfield family speak on “immense suffering” as part of knife crime campaign
A Mansfield family shared their story as part of Sceptre – a national knife crime week of action – as the family opened up about the “immense suffering” caused by their loss.
After experiencing the nightmare scenario of losing their child, parents Alison and Paul Castledine have made a heartfelt plea to anyone – especially young people – thinking of carrying a knife to think about the devastation it could cause.
Twenty-two-year-old Danny Castledine was on his way to a music festival in Belgium with a friend when they decided to stop off in Amsterdam for the day.
He would tragically never make it to the event however, after being attacked at random by a man in the street who proceeded to stab him 44 times before dumping his body down some steps.
Nearly two years have now passed since Danny lost his life on June 1, 2022, but for his devastated family, the “immeasurable” pain caused by his loss has only intensified.
“What people don’t realise is our lives have gone as well – we’ve got nothing left”, said mum Alison.
She added: “To know your child died like that is something you can’t ever erase from your mind.
“We saw Danny in his coffin after he came home, and that picture will stay with me forever.
“We saw every wound on his body, on his face, on his neck, on his hands, where he’d tried to fight for freedom.
“That will never ever leave me – just thinking what his last minutes were like.
“The impact is immeasurable and you just cannot put into words what it’s like. Your happiest times turn into your worst times.
“You dread birthdays, Christmases, holidays, as they’re all too painful, and the longer it goes on, it gets harder because you realise you’re never going to see him again.”
Danny’s sister Chloe added: “We haven’t just lost a son and a brother, we’ve lost ourselves as well.
“As a family, you’ve just always got that person missing.
“I feel exactly the same now as I did the minute I heard Danny had died. I still ring him all the time and text him. It’s just not sunk in.”
Danny had just returned from a Caribbean cruise with his family in the days leading up to his death, with the avid traveller then setting off on his trip to Belgium after returning to Nottinghamshire.
Paul added: “You watch the news and see it’s happened to someone else but it’s like a separate world and you don’t expect things like that to happen to you.
“I just can’t fathom where this generation came from where they now have it in their heads, I need to carry a knife for self-defence.
“Like the statistics say, you’re more likely to get stabbed with your own knife than anyone else’s, so I just don’t get where it’s come from.
“They just don’t get the consequences.”
In the aftermath of Danny’s death, The Danny C Foundation was set up to tell Danny’s story and to get these life-saving messages across, with a charity launch event set to take place at Nottingham’s National Justice Museum on Saturday June 15.
If businesses in the area are interested in sponsoring the charity, they can contact Chloe through www.thedannycfoundation.com