Gary and Angela Daulby have called their son's killer a 'coward' after he fled the country soon after the fatal stabbing. Three years have passed since Matthew Daulby was hit over the head and stabbed in the heart at close to midnight on July 28, 2023.
Matthew, who had turned 19 the month before, was one of 10 teenagers to travel from St Gregory’s Social Club in Lydiate after hearing a friend had been attacked while on crutches. He had just finished dinner with his family when he left their home, telling his parents he wouldn't be long. He never returned.
During a street brawl involving his friends and two others, Thomas Dures and Henry Houghton, Matthew was hit over the head with a rock tied in a sock before being fatally stabbed in the chest.
Killer fled to Europe
CCTV footage shown at Preston Crown Court showed Dures approaching the group with a knife while Houghton brandished a stone-filled sock. Five people were stabbed, including Matthew, who was dazed by Houghton before Dures struck the deadly blow. Minutes later, the crowd scattered when a police car arrived. Matthew collapsed near Moorgate and was pronounced dead in hospital at 1.25am on July 29.
Dures walked away, wiped blood from his nose, disposed of his jacket and the murder weapon, and washed his face in a pub before leaving the country. Houghton was convicted of murder and sentenced to 20 years. Dures remained on the run, believed to be in Spain, with a £20,000 reward offered. He turned himself in at a police station in Athens on December 2, 2024, flanked by his lawyer, without a phone or passport. Extradition was delayed due to his expired passport.
Parents relive the murder
Speaking in their first interview since proceedings concluded, Gary said: "It's very difficult, it's really difficult. [Thomas Dures'] first thought was to run, not to be accountable for what he did, and what he did is so cruel and final, and he ran. We then had to wait for him to be found, to go through that same trial process again, and wait for that trial. Ultimately, it's cowardly."
Angela added: "Anyone who carries a knife is a coward. That's all I've got to say about Thomas Dures." She also said: "There were no winners that night. Matthew was the ultimate loser, Matthew's friends ultimately saw their friend be killed, and Thomas Dures and Henry Houghton are now in jail. There are no winners, and, ultimately, Matthew and our family are the biggest losers."
The family sat through three trials, watching CCTV of Matthew being killed hundreds of times. Angela said: "Within those trials, we've watched Matthew be murdered hundreds of times on CCTV and that is really, really difficult to watch that constantly, and to listen to the medical examiner twice talk about his injuries and everything else that we had to listen to. Comprehending all we've had to try to go through during that time, nobody should bury their child. It's not normal, and it's not normal that your son leaves home on a Friday night with his girlfriend and never comes back."
Foundation to fight knife crime
The family now runs the Matthew Daulby Foundation, preparing to launch videos and lesson plans for schools. They are working with Lancashire Police and have produced three videos suitable for VR headsets, aiming to educate children about the consequences of carrying a knife. Angela said: "Knife crime has no demographic. It doesn't, you know. It's easily accessible, and anyone can carry a knife. If you look across the spectrum of knife crime, there is no demographic for it. It's really important that we educate children at the right age so they understand what choices can lead to, and how they can actually be catastrophic to what can happen to their lives, or their friends' lives."
Gary said: "The grief is always there. It never disappears, and the slightest thing, the slightest memory, kicks us off, and we support each other the best way we can, and try and battle through."
