A little girl still makes cards for her murdered dad in the hope one day she will be able to give them to him.
Connor Dockerty was stabbed four times by a then 14-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, in a brutal street attack. The unarmed victim, aged just 23, staggered into a Huyton garden and with his last words said: "I'm dying - tell my kids I love them."
The dad-of-two's killer, now aged 15, was handed a life sentence, with a minimum of 14 years behind bars, at Liverpool Crown Court. Before the murderer was sent down, a police officer read out heartbreaking statements on behalf of Mr Dockerty's grieving family.
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They included a poignant tribute from the victim's ex-girlfriend, Leigh McCallum, the mother of his six-year-old daughter. Ms McCallum said: "Connor doted on her from the day she was born and they developed an amazing bond.
"She was a daddy's girl in every way and long after our relationship had ended, Connor still had her every weekend and regularly visited through the week. He called her every night before she went to bed to tell her that he loved her."
The mum added: "She was five-years-old at the time of her father’s murder, and having to explain to her that her dad had gone was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. She simply could not understand why this had happened and why she would never get to spend time with him again.
"The following days and weeks were hard for her, she had so many questions and I had none of the answers. After Connor's funeral I began to see just how much losing Connor had affected her.
"She became withdrawn, quiet and anxious and spent most of her time close to me. She had to start sleeping with me as she would often wake upset through the night. She told me that she was worried about her family and didn’t want anybody else to leave her.
"She keeps pictures of her dad on a shelf in her room and still draws him pictures and makes him cards in school and at home. She's saved every one of them in the hope that one day she will be able to give them to him. She has never suffered loss before and she’s too young to understand life and death and what that means."
Ms McCallum said she felt heartbroken for her daughter having to live the rest of her life without Mr Dockerty. She added: "I cannot imagine how that will be for her discovering the reason why her dad is no longer with her and missing all the important days that she should get to share with him, because he won't be there.
"Losing Connor has been so difficult. Having to come to terms with the fact that he's not here anymore and that I have to raise his daughter without him has been unbearable. Life will not be the same for any of us."
Mr Dockerty's dad, Robert Burrow, recalled how he helped him overcome the devastating loss of his wife. He said: "Growing up Connor was forever my shadow, my wingman and co-conspirator in many jokes and dares, the type that only two like-minded idiots could come up with.
"When my wife, Connor's mother, passed away, I almost gave up on the world and it was only Connor's constant care and attention that helped me through. But now he is gone too.
"There is no word in the English language to describe a person who has lost a child. If you lose your parents you are an orphan. If you lose your partner you are a widower. What do you become following the loss of a child? Connor's loss has left a hole in my life that nothing can ever fill. I miss my little friend."
The court also heard statements from Mr Dockerty's aunt, Jackie Griffin, and cousin, Rebecca Blease. Ms Griffin recalled how he comforted her with a hug when his mum - her sister - died, and how even though his world had been "shattered", he was concerned about her feelings. Tragically, that was the last embrace they shared.
Ms Griffin said: "Connor was not perfect. But he did not deserve to die like this at such a young age. I don’t know how I got through the weeks that followed. Even now I struggle to get through the days. Connor is constantly on my mind and I cannot accept the way in which he was taken. He should still be here."
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She added: "I am left with a huge hole in my heart knowing that I will never get to see him again, or get a hug off him and hear him ask 'are you ok Auntie Jackie?' The first and last thing I think about every day is Connor. I don’t think that I will ever get over this. He is never coming back to us and I am destroyed.
"I am consoled by the fact that Connor is at last back with his beloved mum, but even this doesn’t stop my pain and suffering. Connor leaves behind his beautiful kids who will now grow up without their dad.
"As Connor's family we will make sure that they never forget him just like we won't. Connor loved his children, they meant everything to him and we will make sure that they know that they were in his final thoughts."
Three months after his death, it would have been Mr Dockerty's 24th birthday. Ms Griffin said: "We met up as Connors family and friends and released some balloons in his memory.
"We have named a star after him so that we can all look to the sky at night and feel that he is looking down on us. As his children get older I hope that it will bring them some comfort to think that although their daddy may not be here he is a star in the sky shining down on them."
Ms Blease described him as her "first best friend", who lit up sleepovers at her nan's house, and always made people laugh. She said thoughts of what happened to him haunted her in the wake of his death and she couldn't shake them off. However, she said: "I'm glad that his last thought was of his kids because he loved them so much."
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Members of Mr Dockerty's family cried in the public gallery, as the statement from Ms Blease continued. She said: "You don't expect what happened to Connor to happen to you or your loved ones.
"There's not a day that goes by that I don’t think about him, every morning and every night. He even has a corner in my bedroom with his fingerprint, photos, T-shirts from his funeral and balloon release and his star that I bought and named after him. That's what we loved to do when we were kids, just gazing at the night sky in our nan's conservatory. I just wish we could go back to that moment."
Families Fighting for Justice is a peer support group for families bereaved by homicide.
It runs The Hub, in Anson Street, off Prescot Street near the Royal Liverpool Hospital, which is a drop-in centre with information and support under one roof.
The charity understands the issues affecting a victim's family of homicide or culpable road death and can offer advice and guidance, referral to a network of providers, counselling services, support through the judicial process and more.
For more details on The Hub visit: www.homicidesupporthub.org
