A Tyson Fury-themed headstone has been installed at the grave of a teenager who died after being stabbed during a gang attack.
The family of Jack Woodley said the outspoken heavyweight champion was his idol and want his final resting place to reflect his admiration for the fighter.
The 18-year-old, who is buried in West Cemetery in School Aycliffe, died after a shocking attack in October 2021.
He was killed by a gang of ten youths, who were aged 14 to 17 at the time, as he left a fun fair at the Houghton Feast.
They have all been convicted of murder following a lengthy trial at Newcastle Crown Court earlier this year.
All but one, the 15-year-old boy who delivered the fatal blow, are hoping to appeal against their convictions.
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On the day of his funeral, last December, his body was carried to the church with an authentic green and yellow Tyson Fury fighting robe.
Work on the gravestone has been carried out by Bambridge Brothers in Darlington.
Read more: Mum of murdered Aycliffe teen and mum of convicted killer clash over appeal
Jack’s mother Zoey McGill, from Newton Aycliffe, said: “It is shaped in a heart and there is a blue rose on there because we used to call him the blue-eyed boy.
“It has got a Tyson Fury quotes on it.
“It has got ‘I am a unique fighter, one of kind’ on the front where Jack’s picture is.
“Jack always used to use Tyson’s quotes. He used to say lots of them.”
Jack read the Gypsy King’s autobiography while serving a short custodial sentence for affray and turned his life around, pledging to stop getting into trouble.
Zoey said: “He read his book when he spent two months inside and it helped change his life around.
“We were going to bury it with him but the undertaker said we should keep that because obviously you can never get it back.
“We have also got his robe. Jack loved Tyson and looked up to him a lot. He loved boxing and used to go a lot when he was younger.
“On the back there is another quote: “A fighter like me only comes around 1,000 years.”
“We liked that quote because on the night Jack did fight for his life. He really did. He got back up so many times before he collapsed.
“We thought they were nice quotes that matched Jack’s personality and how he was.”
Zoey is now campaigning to raise awareness of knife crime, alongside Tanya Brown, from Sunderland, who lost her own 18-year-old son, Connor, following a stabbing in 2019.
Read next:
- Jack Woodley trial jury judge outlines the law as it applies
- Mum of Aycliffe teen's convicted killer pleads innocence
- County Durham mum still visits grave every night
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The anniversary of Jack’s death was marked with a peaceful vigil near the Britannia Inn in Houghton-le-Spring where Jack was fatally wounded.
Zoey, who still visits Jack’s every day so she can feel close to her son, said: “I am really happy with the new headstone.
"It is lovely. I go every night and light a candle.”
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