After surviving the horrific knife attack that claimed the lives of three young girls, a Southport teacher is calling for a nationwide ban on pointed kitchen knives. As she launches her campaign, we’re asking: do we really need pointed knives in our homes?
A Southport survivor wants a ban on pointed kitchen knives following the horrific attack last year – and we want to know how you feel about it.
With most – if not all – of us having such items in our kitchen, we’re asking if we really need them in our homes. Brave teacher Leanne Lucas is launching Let’s Be Blunt in conjunction with Knife Crime Awareness Week, and is calling for the widespread adoption of rounded kitchen knives. Last summer the teacher was leading a group of little girls through a Taylor Swift-themed yoga class when a teenager stormed in with a knife. What followed was every teacher and parent’s nightmare.
Three young girls – Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe, and Alice Dasilve Aguiar, all under the age of ten – lost their lives that day. Leanne was injured trying to protect them, with her life being changed forever. And now the teacher wants all manufacturers, retailers, homes, and the government to move away from pointed knives, suggesting many of us will likely have more sharp utensils at home than we might think. As part of her campaign, supporters will be able to exchange their pointed knives for round tip ones.
The teacher says she can’t even use them anymore. The thought of a sharp, pointed knife brings her right back to that horrific moment. She doesn’t feel safe – at home, outside, anywhere, and is hyper-aware of exits in public places. What do YOU think? Do you agree with a ban on pointed kitchen knives? Take our poll below. If you can’t see it, click here
In an interview with The Times, Leanne shared that she’s still deep in grief – and never thought knife crime would touch her own life. She said: ‘I didn’t realise how afraid I felt in my own kitchen; I haven’t cooked since the summer. I think part of that reason is subconsciously I’ve got a fear.’
Eighteen-year-old Axel Rudakubana attacked the dance class last year with one of two cheap 20-centimetre kitchen knives from Amazon, bypassing any security checks. Following her ordeal, the teacher was shocked to find such a blasé attitude around kitchen knives.
She said: ‘Every time I learnt something new, I’d think, “That doesn’t sound right. Surely there are laws in place so that couldn’t have happened.” The more my eyes have been opened, the more I’ve been able to formulate an idea.’
She also credited actor Idris Elba’s knife crime documentary for giving her the courage to launch her campaign.
Earlier this year the Luther star told the BBC: ‘Not all kitchen knives need to have a point on them, that sounds like a crazy thing to say but you can still cut your food without the point on your knife, which is an innovative way to look at it.’
And Ms Lucas said that as soon as she saw blunt-tipped knives she questioned why pointed knives were a staple in kitchens across the UK at all.
Last year there were 233 knife-enabled homicides, up slightly on the 226 in the previous year.
Some 5,411 offences classed as knife-enabled threats to kill were recorded in 2023/24, and the number of offences classed as ‘possession of article with a blade or point’ stood at 27,470.
Leanne was inspired to launch her campaign after watching Idris Elba’s knife crime documentary. Earlier this year, Elba told the BBC: “Not all kitchen knives need to have a point on them – that sounds like a crazy thing to say, but you can still cut your food without the point. It’s an innovative way to look at it.”
What do YOU think? Do you agree with a ban on pointed kitchen knives? Take our poll above and expand on your feelings in the comments below