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Murdered man's sister wants to help others

BBC Becky Dustan delivering a knife crime talk at a school in Cornwall, wearing a top that says Mike's sister slightly obscured by her hairBBC
Becky Dustan's brother was attacked with a knife outside a nightclub in 2023

The sister of a man who was murdered in Cornwall says she has "found a place of forgiveness" and wanted to help others.

Becky Dustan's brother, Michael Riddiough-Allen, 32, was attacked knife outside the Eclipse nightclub in Bodmin on 30 April 2023.

Mike's Trust is a charity set up by his family to try to tackle knife crime and his sister began delivering talks in schools last year.

Now she has decided to embark on a new career to support young people in the care sector after being a primary school teacher for seven years.

Family handout Michael Riddiough-Allen, who has brown hair and is dressed in a formal suit with a red tie, a handkerchief in his jacket top pocket and a flower on his lapel. Family handout
Michael Riddiough-Allen was attacked with a knife outside a nightclub

Mr Riddiough-Allen's family sat through a six-week trial at the beginning of 2024 which saw Jake Hill, 25, found guilty of murder.

Chelsea Powell, 22, from Bodmin, was found not guilty of murder and manslaughter, but guilty of perverting the course of justice.

Tia Taylor, 22, also from Bodmin, initially denied three charges but pleaded guilty to manslaughter and perverting the course of justice.

Ms Dustan, 36, said: "[The court case] was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.

"Having to watch the CCTV over and over, the amount of times I've watched my brother die during the time of that trial - it was really hard."

'Let go of anger'

She continued: "You've got two choices.

"You either hold that hatred in your heart and it eats away at you and it makes you deeply unhappy and it makes the world seem like a darker place, or you let go of that anger, you find a place of forgiveness and you try to have a little bit of positivity."

She said she wanted to change her career to work with people "who have the hardest life" and have had "the biggest challenges".

"Hopefully I will be a big part of helping a young person better their own lives," Ms Dustan said.

"I think what we need to learn from Mike is our family are those people you choose to support you.

"He's always had his family around him but actually his family was huge because of the friends he had around him."

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