'Our hearts break every day', say parents of murdered Milton Keynes teenager in emotional tribute

Childhood friends Dom Ansah and Ben Gillham-Rice were at a birthday party at a house in Emerson Valley in October 2019 when members of a rival gang burst in with knives in an "armed and co-ordinated group ambush".

The two 17-year-olds were fatally and horrifically stabbed in front of fellow guests.

The parents of Dom Ansah, Tracey and Dominic, have today (Wednesday) released the following tribute in memory of their 17-year-old son:

Dom was born on 27 December 2001, weighing 2lb 9oz, arriving 11 minutes after his twin sister Holly.

After eight weeks in hospital, we were allowed to bring our babies home and Dom grew into an adventurous young boy, eager to learn and explore.

He loved everything, from fishing with his grandad to street dancing with his sister, baking cakes with mum and playing football with dad.

Dom was by his twin sister Holly’s side in everything that they did. They were never apart, and that did not change as they got older.

They were always together, so even now when Holly comes down the stairs, we still expect to see Dom following behind. It breaks our hearts when we realise that is never going to happen again.

He formed some amazing friendships at school, with Ben being one of them.

From the age of four, Dom and Ben became inseparable even when they played different sports, Dom's being basketball and Ben's football.

They both joined in and were supportive of each other, even though Dom thought Liverpool were a better team than Ben's Tottenham.

Dom was part of a friendship group with many of them being friends from a young age and most of them becoming an extended part of our family, for which we are very proud of their achievements.

Dom loved being with his big family, from cousins to aunties he always made time for everyone, he was all about family.

He was a protector to Holly, he was kind and caring. He spent more time at home with his family than he did out with his friends.

Dom loved family holidays from Paris to Australia and everywhere else in between.

He loved to make people laugh, sometimes at his own expense. He was the life and soul of a party and he would light up the room.

He had a laugh that was so infectious that even if it was not funny, you would still laugh. How we miss hearing that laugh.

Now, we have to watch videos every day just to hear his voice and his laugh, something that no mother, father or sister should have to go through.

Dom made people feel at ease. You never felt alone when he was around.

He was loyal and honest and loved life. Even at 17-years-old and 6 feet tall, he had a smile that would melt anyone's heart.

Dom wasn’t just our son, he was our best friend and the light of our lives along with Holly.

Our hearts break every day waking up feeling this gut-wrenching pain of not having our son, not hearing him calling us mum and dad, not having that cuddle every day, not hearing him say ‘I love you mum’.

Because Dom was never afraid or embarrassed to say those words, even in front of his friends.

I don’t get to see his smiley face or get that kiss goodnight on the forehead.

I miss him calling me daddy, asking me to watch or play football or just spend time together.

Holly has lost her other half, and as parents we can see the emptiness and sadness in her eyes and as parents all we want to do is take her pain away but we can’t.

Dom will never have the chance be a father or an uncle, pass his driving test, or open the barbershop he so wanted.

The family will never recover from this. How could we when we have lost the most precious person that gave us so much?

We don’t want to celebrate Christmas, birthdays, or go on family holidays, because we cannot bear the thought of Dom not being part of these memories.

Each day now, we just survive. He has already missed Holly going to university and will continue to miss her other milestones.

Dom had nearly 500 people attend his funeral. That shows how much he was and always will be loved.

We do not have enough words to tell you how much Dom meant to us, what we have lost and our daily struggles without him.