She spent years campaigning against hate crime following her daughter’s death
Sylvia Lancaster, whose daughter Sophie was brutally murdered in 2007, has died suddenly.
Sophie Lancaster was 20 when she was kicked to death by teenage boys in Bacup, Lancashire while her boyfriend was badly beaten, because they were dressed like Goths.
Her killer Ryan Herbert was just 16-years-old at the time and was jailed for life in 2008.
After her daughter’s death, Sylvia set up the Sophie Lancaster Foundation, campaigning against hate crime and “championing people from alternative subcultures.”
In 2014, she was made an OBE for her campaign work.
The foundation announced her death in a statement on Tuesday, which read: “This is the hardest statement to write. It is with great shock and disbelief that we announce that Sylvia Lancaster has passed away.
“She died early this morning in Blackburn hospital. She had suffered from ill health for the last couple of years, but her death was sudden and unexpected. Sylvia had such a powerful life force; we cannot imagine a world without her in it.”
“Following Sophie’s brutal murder, Sylvia put her energy into championing people from alternative subcultures and creating educational programmes to tackle prejudice and intolerance.
https://www.facebook.com/thesophielancasterfoundation/posts/10158987445043871
“She worked tirelessly to combat the inaccurate and lazy stereotyping that all too often leads to violent prejudice and promoted a culture of celebrating difference; something that leads to safer communities for us all.”
It went on to describe her as “formidable” and said “her legacy is that Sophie will never be forgotten.”
Last month it was announced that Herbert would be released early from prison, having served 15 years of his life sentence.
The Parole Board ruled he had made “significant changes to his life” whilst behind bars.
At the time, Sylvia had described the decision as another example of a “justice system that fails to deliver justice.”
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