A “kind and caring” 14-year-old boy who died after being fatally stabbed in Gateshead has been named by police as Tomasz Oleszak.
The teenager, who is thought to have moved to Britain from Poland about five years ago, died in the early hours of Tuesday after the alleged attack on Monday night.
A boy, 14, remains in police custody after being arrested on suspicion of murder. A 13-year-old girl is also in custody on suspicion of assisting an offender.
Ch Supt Helena Barron, of Northumbria police, said: “Tomasz had his whole life ahead of him and this tragic incident has cut that life short and left his family utterly devastated.
“Their grief is unimaginable and they are in the thoughts of everyone at Northumbria police as we continue to support them in every way we can.”
Police said they were called to the Aycliffe Crescent area of Gateshead’s Springwell estate to reports of a boy having suffered “an injury consistent with having been caused by a bladed article”.
Tomasz was taken to hospital where he later died.
Barron said: “The investigation is very much ongoing and I want to thank the Springwell estate community and everyone who has come forward with information for their support.
“While incidents of this nature are rare in our region, we do recognise the impact they have on the lives of those involved and the wider community. When they do occur we are committed to bringing those responsible to justice.”
A fundraising page has been set up by the coaches of Tomasz’s local football team to help his family.
Paul Howson, one of the coaches, said: “Tomasz was a very kind, caring young man. He was brought to the UK by his parents for a better life and didn’t deserve what has happened to him. He was liked and loved by many. He was a very passionate footballer who we all had the pleasure of coaching. He was much loved member of his local community and will be sadly missed by all who loved him.
“This is every parents’ worse nightmare come true and I can’t imagine what they are going through.”
Northumbria police urged anyone with information to get in contact, either through the Tell Us Something page of it website or by calling 101, quoting log NP-20221003-0995.
The force also warned people not to speculate about the details of the investigation. Barron said: “What might seem like an innocent comment or post on social media to you, could in reality disrupt an ongoing investigation and cause further upset to the family of the victim.”
