James Hardwidge tells of pain 20 years after his brother's murder

The brother of a man who was stabbed to death 20 years ago said his family was "torn apart" by the tragedy.

Ben Hardwidge, 22, was stabbed 50 times during an attack in the Essex village of Birchanger, near Bishop's Stortford, on 1 March 2004.

His brother, James, said he fell to his knees upon seeing his older sibling in hospital, where he would later die.

He said: "Every time I read in the news about anyone being stabbed, I still put my hands over my face and pray."

Ben had been involved in a confrontation involving three other people when he was stabbed by an 18-year-old man, who was later jailed for his murder.

"We found out in a phone call telling us to come to the hospital," said Mr Hardwidge, who was aged 20 at the time.

"We initially thought: 'Right, he's been stabbed once', and he was going to be OK. Then we learned he had been stabbed 50 times and he was fighting for his life.

"I honestly remember it like it was yesterday and I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

"Ben's death literally tore our family apart - I don't want any more families to go through what we did."

On the 20th anniversary of his brother's death, Mr Hardwidge said he wanted it to serve as a tragic reminder of the pain carrying a knife can cause.

The dad-of-three said people's lives were being ruined by those arming themselves with blades.

"For the family, it impacts you for the rest of your life and for a while, all you see is danger. What happened to Ben has shaped me - and not really in a good way," he said.

Det Supt Gary Biddle, of Essex Police, said knife-enabled crime in the county was "very rare".

Figures provided by the force said there were 1,050 offences involving knives over the past year in Essex - 90 fewer than the year prior.

"Each of these incidents represents a person who has been the victim of a serious knife crime and we know each person involved is likely to have had a truly horrific experience," said Det Supt Biddle.

"As a force, we work determinedly to tackle knife crime."

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