01-07-2025
'This is for my son': Knife crime campaigner Pooja Kanda given OBE in King's Birthday honours
Pooja Kanda has been made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) following her tireless campaign for changes in the law after her 16-year-old son Ronan was murdered with a ninja sword yards away from his Wolverhampton home.
Ms Kanda said she was "grateful" and "overwhelmed" by the honour following the death of her son in June 2022.
The 48-year-old said: 'The day I heard about the OBE, I held his picture. I shed tears.
"I know that the OBE is in my name, but this is for my son.
"I'm only here because of who he was. He was such a kind, loving, caring, not a son, not a brother, a human being, a person who everyone loved."
Ms Kanda said she was driven to campaign after witnessing the trial of her son's killers, who attacked the 16-year-old in a case of mistaken identity.
They had been able to buy knives without identity checks.
"During that court case, the revelation each day was: how is this possible?" Ms Kanda said.
"How? How on earth are these types of weapons still available?
"No wonder my son didn't stand a chance."
Ms Kanda and her family began the Justice For Ronan Kanda campaign after his death and have since advocated for changes in the law around the sale of knives.
She said one of Ronan's killers had been able to get weapons online "as easily as getting bread and milk".
The Kanda family's campaigning has already achieved one of its goals – the passing of Ronan's Law which will make it illegal to own, sell, make or import ninja swords in the UK from August 1.
Pat McFadden, MP for Wolverhampton South East, Ronan's constituency, thanked Ms Kanda and her family for their efforts when the law was approved in Parliament on April 30.
But for Ms Kanda, there is still "so much to do".
"This is just one fight for me," she said.
"There were many failures that I endured, and many failures need to be turned into learnings."
