The coaches of a "much loved" 14-year-old boy who was fatally stabbed have set up a fundraiser to support his family, which has since smashed its goal.

Paul Howson, coach of Gateshead Cleveland Hall U15 Stars, has paid tribute to their former player, Tomasz Oleszak, hailing him as a "passionate footballer" and pleasure to coach.

Tomasz, from Gateshead, tragically died in hospital in the early hours of Tuesday morning after an alleged assault in Whitehills Nature Park.

Since then, his coaches have set up a fundraiser to support Tomasz' family in this terrible time, and support has been overwhelming, with the total reaching £18,265 at the time of writing.

Read more: Gateshead incident: Aycliffe Crescent residents left shocked by stabbing

The Northern Echo:

Mr Howson said: "We are all very saddened to hear of the tragic events that unfolded on 3rd October 2022, resulting in Tomasz sadly passing away in the early hours of the 4th October 2022.

"Tomasz was a very kind, caring young man, he was brought to the UK by his parents for a better life and didn't deserve what has happened to him.

"He was liked and loved by many, he was a very passionate footballer who we all had the pleasure of coaching.

"He was a much loved member of his local community and will be sadly missed by all who loved him.

"This is every parents worse nightmare come true and [we] can't imagine what they're going through."

Read more: Aycliffe mum of Jack Woodley is 'heartbroken' after Tomasz Oleszak stabbing

The Northern Echo:

Northumbria Police confirmed it had been made aware of a teenager who had been seriously injured in the Aycliffe Crescent area of the Springwell Estate at 8pm.

After they attended, they found Tomasz, who had suffered an injury consistent with having been caused by a bladed article.

He was taken to hospital where, despite the best efforts of medical staff, he sadly passed away. 

Yesterday, Bob Boustead MBE, club director for Gateshead Cleveland Hall hailed Tomasz and the time he spent at the club.

He said: "Tomasz didn't speak a lot of English [at the start] and he was a very shy young child.

"He developed as a young footballer, but he also developed as a confident young man.

"He was a pleasant lad, he always was very courteous, always receptive to what you were saying to him, he was a thoroughly nice lad to be with."

The fund was set up yesterday by coaches Paul Howson, Michael Howson, and Scott Ilderton, on GoFundMe and initially had a goal of £3,000, which it has since smashed.

Earlier this week, a 14-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of murder, while a 13-year-old girl was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.

You can support the fund here.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police via the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of our website or by calling 101 quoting log NP-20221003-0995.

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