John Kensett has vowed he will be waiting for his son's killer when he is released from prison.

His family has been ripped apart since he and his wife Kim had to watch their son Jay die in the street from stab wounds which pierced his heart and lung.

And, although Darren Mateer was sentenced to life for killing the 16-year-old, he does not believe justice has been done.

It is five years since Jay, a promising footballer, was stabbed following a celebration with friends after he scored four goals for Marina High, his former high school.

But the image of cradling his son and being powerless to help as his life ebbed away remains fresh in John's mind. He shouted at Jay to fight for his life as they waited for medics to arrive.

But as he lay dying on a verge in Whitehawk Way, Brighton, there was nothing his parents could do.

John said: "I raised Jay up and held him in my arms. A few minutes later a last tear rolled down his cheek and I had to listen to the death rattle in his chest as he took his last breath.

"My son died in front of me in the street. No father should have to go through that. At the hospital the police would not even let us hold or touch his body in case we contaminated forensic evidence.

"Not a day goes by without me and Kim and our children thinking about Jay."

John and Kim had just gone to bed on March 26, 1999, when the bell rang and one of Jay's friends broke the news he had been stabbed.

John, a building foreman, threw on some clothes and ran from their home in Pulborough Close to where Jay had fallen.

He had been stabbed in the back with a kitchen knife which pierced his heart and a lung. He was beyond help.

The couple have never spoken publicly about their grief but decided to end their silence after Jay's former fiance Cassie Watts and her father Neil were jailed after admitting causing grievous bodily harm to an alleged mugger.

Cassie's handbag containing the engagement ring and a necklace Jay had given her were snatched.

The case has brought fresh heartache for the Kensetts, who have since moved to Brede Close in Whitehawk.

The couple have four other children: Dean, 25, Ross, 23, Tyrone, 18, and Jayde Louise, 16.

Kim, 44, who sells baby clothes for a Brighton shop, said: "It has brought it all to the surface again. We just want Jay finally laid to rest.

"Cassie's life has moved on and she has a new fianc. We accept she has to rebuild her life.

"But it has upset us Jay's name was used in the court case.

"Nobody let us know what was happening then someone told us the story was in the paper. It is very upsetting to keep having Jay's murder dragged up.

"You never, ever, get over something like that. What do you do when your husband is kneeling on the bedroom floor, sobbing and bashing his head against the wardrobe because the pain of losing Jay is too much?

"We have not had help from anyone since Jay died. We had to help each other.

"The police gave us a number for a victims' organisation but there was a two-week waiting list. There was also a six-month wait for counselling."

Hove Crown Court heard on Monday how Neil and Cassie Watts and her aunt Andrea Woolmer armed themselves with baseball bats and wood.

They caught a woman Cassie identified as being responsible and the court was told she repeatedly punched the suspect as she lay on the ground, fracturing her jaw.

John said: "Any father would do the same but Neil is not a violent man. I feel sympathy for him.

"Darren Mateer got life and he will be eligible for parole after 15 years. I will be waiting for him when he comes out."