‘Hero’ Boy, 15, stabbed to death while trying to save his mum hailed in touching tribute

Jakub Szymanski, 15, was killed on Thursday reportedly while protecting his mum Katarzyna Bastek at a house in Miles Platting, Manchester. Tributes have since flooded in for the teenager who died “fighting for his family”.

Police arrested a man yesterday (Friday) in Kent on suspicion of murder following the attack.

The suspect is believed to be known by Jakub and his mum Katarzyna, detectives said.

Jakub was treated for stab wounds at the scene on Thursday at around 9.30pm, before being rushed to hospital where he died an hour later, police said.

His mum also sustained knife wounds but is now in a stable condition in hospital.

A family statement released through police said: “Jakub was lovingly known as Kuba to his family and Jakub to his friends.

“He was always a popular child, making friends wherever he went due to his friendly and chatty nature.

“He always spoke his mind, he was mischievous, funny and a cheeky boy. He loved his Xbox and football, supporting Manchester City.

“He was like every other teenage boy and was helpful to so many people, even those he just met. To our family, he’s our hero.”

READ MORE: Puppy dumped at shelter is blind after suffering ‘severe neglect’

Detective Chief Inspector Gina Brennand described the attack as “ferocious” and called for witnesses to come forward.

And Detective Chief Inspector Alicia Smith, said: “This attack has left a community reeling and a family coming to terms with what was an absolutely devastating incident for everyone involved.

“A teenage boy who had his whole life ahead of him has tragically lost his life and not only is his mother grieving at the loss of her son, but she is also recovering from what will have been no doubt, hugely traumatic. Our thoughts remain very much with the family and we are absolutely committed to establishing what exactly happened last night.

“Detectives have been working around the clock since this incident was first reported to us and we’ve now made an arrest which is a huge step forward in getting the family the answers they need. Our enquiries are on-going and we would still like to hear from anyone with information, or anyone who may have seen anything.”

Anyone with information should call police on 101 quoting incident 3105 of 09/06/2022, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.