THE parents of Accrington stabbing victim Ken Embley said Christmas will not exist for them this year -- their first without him.

But his mum Marion said they were going to face the new year and the anniversary of his death, in January, fighting for justice after watching his killer, 17-year-old Sophie Holbrook, walk free from court after admitting manslaughter.

Marion, her husband Jimmy, and their son and daughter, Sean and Sharon, have started a petition against the sentence the teenager was given at Preston Crown Court earlier this month.

Holbrook, the daughter of Ken's girlfriend Susan, was given a three-month community rehabilitation order and a six month curfew order for stabbing Ken, 34, in the neck with a kitchen knife at her home in Royds Street, on January 10.

The court heard that Holbrook had been suffering from an "adjustment disorder" -- an abnormal and excessive reaction to stressful events -- at the time of the stabbing, which the judge said had "substantially impaired her responsibility in the act of killing".

Marion, 54, of Charter Street, said: "The law should be changed for a crime such as this to ensure that no other parent has to see their child's killer walk free.

"The sentence she was given was one given to a petty criminal. The bottom line is that she took my son's life and she should have been given a custodial sentence.

"All through the trial I wanted to stand up and say 'what about my son?'

"But we held ourselves together as a family and we were respectful for Ken's sake.

"We wanted to see justice done, but that didn't happen and now we feel we have to do something so that this doesn't happen to anyone else."

Marion said her and Jimmy would not be celebrating Christmas this year.

She said: "It is going to be just another day. There will be no celebrations. We will just sit and remember last Christmas, which Ken spent with Jimmy and I."

Yesterday the family met the two police officers who were first on the scene in January.

PCs Mark Pilkington, 38, and John Cuthbertson, 30, found Ken collapsed on the sofa and helped paramedics battle to save Ken's life.

PC Pilkington then drove the ambulance to Blackburn Royal Infirmary so both paramedics, who the family hope to meet in the new year, could continue to work on him.

Marion said: "The police have been brilliant throughout this and we just wanted to thank the officers for everything they did to try and save Ken."