An Aberdeen man whose father was brutally murdered is using his own experiences to help other victims of violence.
William Reeve was stabbed to death by John Anderson on a city street in broad daylight, in 2008, after an argument over his 15-year-old son, Hayden.
Anderson was jailed for life at the High Court in Edinburgh in September of that year and was locked up for a minimum of 12 years.
Last night Hayden spoke out for the first time about the incident, which has “torn apart” his family.
The 24-year-old said: “The family all dealt with it in different ways, some wanted support, some didn’t.
“Basically, due to the aftermath of the murder my family were torn apart.”
Mr Reeve now works as a support worker in the city and has also recently started up an internet campaign in memory of his father.
Through a Facebook page, he offers free and confidential advice to victims of violence who are struggling to come to terms with their experiences.
And it is his work and the campaign that Mr Reeve claims have helped him come to the terms with the loss of his father.
He said: “I have my good days and my bad days, sometimes I wake up and think to myself ‘I miss you dad’, but I know I’m doing him proud.
“The way I challenge my grief is to try and help other people deal with their problems.
“There’s a lot of people that have been sharing the page and telling me they like what I’m doing, so that makes me feel good.
“When I was in that position, I didn’t know what was out there for me. This means people don’t have to go to a public organisation like Victim Support until they’re ready.”
Mr Reeve plans to begin fundraising over the next few months, and hopes to organise a march along Union Street to highlight the campaign.
For more information, search for the William Reeve Campaign on Facebook.
