A gay autistic teenager who died after being set alight at his 18th birthday party is to be commemorated - on the day when he would have turned 19.
Barnsley College student Steven Simpson, 18, of Pleasant View, Cudworth, suffered 60 per cent burns when a flame was put to his tanning oil soaked body at his party last June. He died two days later.
Now his mother Bernadette is arranging a celebration of her son's life. At the same time, she is awaiting the outcome of a court hearing to decide if the man who admitted Steven's manslaughter will be given a tougher sentence.
Mrs Simpson, 44, has struggled to come to terms with Steven's death and has started volunteering with Age UK to try and distract herself.
"I was having anxiety attacks and have been very down," she said. She has also moved from Cudworth to Carlton.
At the memorial event, she plans to play some of Steven's favourite songs by Lady Gaga, Britney Spears and Girls Aloud.
She also has mementoes of her son, such as his favourite jumper, photos and a T-shirt he made.
"Steven was a lovely, gentle person and wouldn't want me to be sad," she said.
"But I am dreading the event in a way. We miss him so much."
Steven's memorial event will be at Monk Bretton working men's club on June 22.
Jordan Sheard, 20, of Darfield Road, Cudworth, was given a three-and-a-half-year jail sentence after admitting manslaughter, but following a campaign by anti-discrimination pressure groups, his sentence was re-examined by the Attorney General, Dominic Grieve QC.
A decision will be handed down at a date yet to be set.
