A GRIEVING mother says the pain of losing her youngest child is still raw, three years after his murder.

Family and friends of Andrew Holland will gather tomorrow to mark the third anniversary.

The 16-year-old was attacked and stabbed in the neck outside a takeaway in Plodder Lane, Farnworth, on August 17, 2007. He died later in hospital.

Mum Joan Holland, of Trentham Avenue, Farnworth, said: “The pain is no better than it was the day it happened.

“I won’t ever come to terms with it, it’s just devastating.

“Not a day goes by that he isn’t spoken about, let alone thought about. We’ll never forget him.”

Mahmud Maksoudian, of Madams Wood Road, Little Hulton, who was 21 at the time of the attack, was jailed for life in February, 2008, after being convicted of Andrew’s murder.

He was also found guilty of assaulting Andrew’s friend, Curtis McAtee, who was also stabbed, and was told he must serve 19 years in jail.

The mum-of-four, who lives just around the corner from where her son was stabbed, said: “I feel angry, there was just no reason for what he did.

“He’ll never know what he has done to this family, I’m glad he has got to serve the full 19 years.

“I hope he will be deported on his release, but to be honest I hope he dies in prison, but only after serving most of his sentence.”

The family will mark the anniversary tomorrow by visiting Andrew’s grave and the tree planted in his memory in the street where he was stabbed.

Miss Holland is also appealing for more to be done to tackle knife crime.

She said: “Nothing seems to have been learned from his death, there are still stabbings and it seems to be getting worse.

“There needs to be more education about knife crime and the police should do more stop checks. If you are found with a knife you should be jailed.”

Miss Holland added: “I would say to anyone who carries a knife — don’t be stupid, don’t use it because you’re not just ruining the lives of the family of the person you take away but your own life and your family’s lives.