Shock and despair of Dami's parents

All they wanted was the truth. Instead, Richard and Gloria Taylor were left shocked and disappointed by the failure of the justice system to give them the answers they wanted.

Neil O'May, the Taylor family's solicitor, told waiting reporters outside the Old Bailey: "Mr and Mrs Taylor came to this court to understand and know the truth of why Damilola died.

"They wanted to know who killed him and why he was killed. They have listened to the evidence now for three months and they have heard everything that has been said in court.

"Sadly, they feel that court proceedings have brought them no nearer to those burning questions which continue to torment them. They hope that the result of this verdict will not mean people will stop asking the questions of what went on, who killed Damilola and why these things were allowed to happen.

"They have received enormous support from across the whole country. There have been messages and letters from far and wide. It has been deeply appreciated and Mr and Mrs Taylor want me to say how very important that has been to them.

"The verdict has come as a shock to them and I hope that you will appreciate and respect their need to spend a little time in peace to come to terms with the decision.

"They would like everyone to know their struggle to understand what went on continues, and they hope that everyone will continue to support that."

Mr O'May added: "They know their son was murdered. They don't know who did it or why it happened, but they know he died at the hands of others."

Asked about the parents' reaction to the verdict, he said: "I don't think surprise was one of their emotions - I think they felt they couldn't understand why the three months produced so little.

"They feel the court proceedings let them down, in that it didn't live up to their hopes that they would understand and know who killed Damilola and why. It's as important to know why as who."

Despite their confusion and disappointment, the Taylors continued to conduct themselves with the composure and dignity they showed throughout the trial.

Mrs Taylor said that she prays for her son's killers every day: "I pray for them. I pray for them every day. I pray for them, for God to touch them."

Recalling the day Damilola died she said: "They told me that somebody was attacked on that road. I said 'That must be my son'. They said, how can I confirm he's my son. I said 'Is he a schoolboy, a black boy wearing this kind of uniform?' And they were all just looking at me."

She was then taken to hospital by police, where she saw her son's body.

She said: "I ran to him and I held him. I put my head on his head because it looked as if he was sleeping. I didn't believe he was dead. There was blood coming out from his nose and his mouth and they pulled me away from him. I couldn't believe he's dead. Couldn't."

Inside there was also anger and despair. Mr Taylor, 56, told the Evening Standard: "Such a little boy should never have been allowed to die such a brutal death.

"The England we knew had a lot of discipline but all that has now gone to the dogs because of the attitude of parents to disciplining their children.

"This is a civilised part of the world and this murder should not have happened in the UK, which used to be known as a world power. Once, people came here because they believed that if they got here, they would be safe."

The Taylors are a Christian family, well known among the Nigerian churches of south-east London. They are comforted by their beliefs, but also by the certainty that Damilola lived a good life, albeit a short one.

As the trial fell apart the Taylors sat at the back of the court, hardly able to believe what was happening. Each development seemed worse than the last.

The judge acknowledged the pain they were suffering when they said: "We all have huge sympathy for the Taylor family."

But he showed that such emotion could only go so far within our judicial system when he told the jury to stick to the evidence, adding: "Sympathy for the family and for all those caught up in this must be put aside."

Amid such heartbreak it seems incredible that the Taylors were not consumed by despair but they coped by keeping the memories of their son alive.

Mr Taylor said: "My memories are real. He is still there. His murder could have caused disintegrationin our family but because we believe his death has a purpose, we believe we can stay together in our prayers."

He remembers his young son's interests: how he loved to play football at the Warwick Park Youth Centre - now renamed the Damilola Taylor Youth Centre - copying the moves of the stars in his favourite team, Manchester United; his enthusiasm for films, particularly the James Bond movies and The Sound Of Music; how he would perch at his art table for hours on end; his dreams of becoming a doctor and being the one who would find a cure for epilepsy, the condition endured by his elder sister.

"There is not a day that I have not thought of him," said Mr Taylor. "I remember how we would talk. I would tell him what he should do, and if it was something he did not want to do he would sometimes show his resentment.

"But he had a lot of charisma. Things have never been the same since we lost him. He came 10 years after his brother and he brought us a lot of happiness and a lot of joy. He had a tremendous effect on the life of our family."

BOLA Ogun, chairman of governors at Oliver Goldsmith School in Peckham, which Damilola attended, said: "The key thing is that our thoughts are with Mr and Mrs Taylor.

"It's now 16 months since the death of their son and it's been a long wait for justice to take its course. It is disappointing that at the end of that time, they don't have the comfort of knowing that the people responsible for this horrendous crime are behind bars."

He added: "The whole community wanted the people responsible to be identified and a strong case brought against them, and this has not happened."