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Knife crime campaigner Alison Cope, whose son was stabbed to death, has hit out at the case, asking ‘How many more children need to die before words turn into consistent, impactful action?’
Some of Britain’s most prolific knife offenders have repeatedly been spared jail, including one caught carrying a blade nine times.
A “two strikes and you’re out” rule for knife carriers introduced in 2015 was meant to lead to a jail sentence of six months to four years. Yet in one shocking case an offender was allowed to go free with a non-custodial sentence, despite 94 previous convictions – eight for blade-related offences. Another offender came in front of the courts for a fifth knife crime offence. On each occasion they received a community sentence.
Campaigner Alison Cope, whose son Joshua Ribera was stabbed to death near a Birmingham nightclub in 2013, last night told the Mirror the figures show years of tough talk over sen-tencing were an illusion. The Pride of Britain Award winner said: “How many more children need to die before words turn into consistent, impactful action?
“I have met many young people who have been caught with weapons. The consequence has ranged from a verbal warning to probation. I have never met anyone who received a custodial sentence.”
She wants the government to crack down on knife carriers in the same way they have with rioters. Alison said: “We have seen a zero tolerance approach at recent events that resulted in riots and anti-social behaviour… the police and courts did an amazing job, making it clear this behaviour would not be tolerated.
“The consequences for carrying a knife are not consistent and in some cases ineffective in stopping a young person carrying a knife. If you have millions of views on social media and radio stations glorifying weapons it is very difficult for some young people to comprehend carrying a weapon is wrong. Carrying and using a weapon is a consequence of mindset. Ban the weapon and the mindset will find an alternative.”
Recent high-profile cases involving young victims and culprits, including the killings of three young girls in Southport, have provoked public anger. Last week, Axel Rudakubana, 18, was jailed for murdering Elsie Dot Stancombe, Alice da Silva Aguiar and Bebe King at a dance party, after buying weapons on Amazon.
Days earlier, a 14-year-old boy was charged with murder after Leo Ross, 12, died from a stab wound in Birmingham. Last month, Hassan Sentamu, 18, was convicted of the murder of Elianne Andam, 15, who he knifed in the neck outside the Whitgift shopping centre, in Croydon, South London. And in September, two boys, aged 12 at the time of the killing, were jailed for the machete murder of 19-year-old Shawn Seesahai, in Wolverhampton.
In 2015, the then-Tory government introduced a mandatory “two strikes and you’re out” minimum six-month prison sentence for carrying a knife. It said that adults convicted of possessing a blade for a second time would face a prison sentence between six months and four years. And offenders aged 16 and 17 would face a minimum four-month detention.
Statistics now show that anyone convicted of a second knife offence stands just a 50/50 chance of prison. Five years ago the chances of a second-time knife criminal managing to avoid jail was one in three. Patrick Green, of The Ben Kinsella Trust – set up in memory of the teenager slain in London in 2008 – said: “These figures demonstrate the shocking failure of the justice system to enforce the promised ‘two-strike’ rule.
“The message being sent to the public is clear: knife crime, even repeated knife crime, is not being treated with the severity it deserves. This has the potential to compromise public safety.”
A government spokesperson said: “We are working tirelessly to halve knife crime over the next decade. We are acting to put tougher restrictions on the sale of dangerous weapons, from a ban on ninja swords to plans for two-step verification on online sales. We will also ensure that carrying knives triggers tough consequences. We’ll do everything in our power to defeat an epidemic of knife violence.”
