Latest news with #ZoeyMcGill
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
KEIR STARMER: As a parent, meeting families of knife crime victims is heart breaking
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the extraordinary courage of families who have lost children to knife crime spurs him on - as he vowed to end the epidemic of violence Some of the most heart-breaking moments in this job have been meeting parents whose children were victims of knife crime. I think of Zoey McGill who showed me a video of her singing to her son as he lay dying in his hospital bed. I think of the times I've met Pooja Kanda whose son Ronan was killed by a ninja sword. Their courage – and the courage of so many grieving parents like them - is extraordinary. From such devastation, they have found a remarkable strength to fight for change. They are determined to stop other parents going through what they have endured. It's something I feel very personally. Not just as a parent, trying to comprehend what they've been through, but because tackling crime and securing justice has been my life's work. That's why, as Prime Minister, I set the goal to halve knife crime in a decade as part of this government's Plan for Change. In the last year, we have already taken some important steps. I promised Pooja that we would ban the ninja swords that killed her son. And we've kept that promise: 'Ronan's Law' will become the law of the land. Throughout this month, we're running a knife surrender scheme, with mobile vans collecting these knives off our streets. And from next month, it will be illegal to sell or own these vicious blades. We've got tougher sentences for selling knives to young people and a new power for police to seize them. We're cracking down on online sales that somehow, inexplicably, made buying a knife online as easy as buying a football. And we've introduced sanctions for tech executives who fail to remove illegal knife crime content from their platforms. We're ensuring there are real consequences for carrying a knife, and restoring proper community policing on the ground, with 13,000 more police officers in neighbourhood roles by the end of this Parliament. But one area where we've got to go much further is how we prevent young people being drawn into knife crime in the first place. So this week the government is setting out plans for our Young Futures Hubs. These hubs will bring together local services, mental health support, mentoring and careers guidance in the communities where young people live, ensuring no-one is left behind. There will be eight early adopters up and running later this year – focused in areas with high levels of knife crime – and fifty by the end of this Parliament. We've also got to address the underlying causes that might make a young person pick up a weapon, whether they are being groomed by a gang or radicalised online. So our new Prevention Partnership Panels will bring together local authorities, police, schools and community groups to proactively spot when young people need help. And they will then refer them to support services much earlier, including to our new Young Futures Hubs. Of course, government cannot do this alone. We have to come together as a country, politicians of all stripes, faith and community leaders, families of victims, tech companies and young people themselves. It's why last year at Downing Street, we launched our brilliant Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime – with charities, funders, families and experts uniting to get these knives off our streets and to restore youth services. And it's why today I was pleased to be able to join The King and Idris Elba at a summit at St James' Palace to help drive forward this vital work. In politics, what matters is who you have in your mind when you're taking decisions. I will always have people like Pooja and Zoey in my mind. Their courage demands that, together, we act. And I am determined that we will do whatever it takes to end this epidemic of knife crime and build a country where families once again feel safe on our streets, and young people can look forward with hope and excitement about their future.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Forged in grief: Knife Angel unveiled as families demand justice for lost loved ones
As the Knife Angel was unveiled in Newton Aycliffe on Saturday, hundreds gathered at Beveridge Way to welcome a poignant and powerful reminder of the scourge of knife crime in the region and wider UK. Silence fell over the crowd as the Knife Angel, a towering 27-foot sculpture forged from 100,000 surrendered blades from knife amnesties, was unveiled This was no ordinary art installation. For the families in attendance, many of them still raw from personal tragedies, it was a monument of mourning, a symbol of hope, and a call for justice from the legal system, politicians, and society. The Knife Angel goes on display in Newton Aycliffe (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT) For Zoey McGill, the Knife Angel's presence in County Durham is deeply personal. Her teenage son, Jack Woodley, was just 18 when he was stabbed to death in a brutal gang attack in 2021. The knife that killed him was a Rambo-style weapon, wielded by a 15-year-old. Ten teenagers, aged just 14 to 17, were convicted under the controversial joint enterprise law. Zoey, who attended Saturday's unveiling, called for action to prevent more fatalities. A speech, read out for her on the day, said: "I want to talk about something that's tearing our community apart: knife crime. It's not just a statistic or a headline. It's about real people, real lives shattered. Zoe McGill and her family, Husband Chris, sons Ralph, 10 months, Jenson, 9, and Jayden, 17 (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT) "Consider my Jack, who never made it to his 19th birthday because of a senseless act of violence; he simply went to a fun fair with his girlfriend and never came home. "Knife crime doesn't just claim lives. It leaves lasting scars on families and friends. It creates a ripple effect of fear and mistrust in our neighbourhoods. Parents worry every time their child steps out the door. Kids feel they need to carry a weapon just to feel safe. "But here's the thing: carrying a knife doesn't make you safer. It puts you at risk. It turns a heated moment into a life-altering tragedy. "We can create a community where kids feel valued, heard, and protected without resorting to violence. The cost of knife crime is too high. It's time we all stand up and say: enough is enough. "Our community deserves better. Durham Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen delivers a powerful message about knife crime at today's Knife Angel unveiling in Newton Aycliffe — The Northern Echo (@TheNorthernEcho) May 31, 2025 "Our children deserve better." There was no anger in her voice — just the exhausted determination of a mother who wakes up every day to the ache of absence. PC Andy Boyd, Dionne Barrett mum of Gordon Gault, Zoe McGill mum of Jack Woodley, Amy Robinson partner of Rory Boyce, Louise Hutchinson mum of Craig Yorke and Joy Allen PCC (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT) 'Losing Jack will never get easier,' she added. 'It destroys you day after day." The Knife Angel's arrival in Newton Aycliffe marks its first appearance in County Durham and follows years of relentless campaigning by Zoey, local police sergeant Andy Boyd, and The Northern Echo's Knife Crime Task Force, which has been working to stem the tide of youth violence in the North East. The sculpture — its metal feathers formed from blades once destined to harm — will remain in the town centre for June. Some of the 100,000 blades that make up the Knife Angel (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT) Its haunting presence aims to educate, provoke reflection, and inspire change. Surrounding the statue were people clutching framed photographs, T-shirts bearing the faces of lost loved ones. Some were in tears, others just stood, silent in remembrance. The photos of some of those killed by knife crime in County Durham and the North East (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT) Alongside Zoey McGill, the names of those other tragedies were on display too. Dionne Barrett, mum of Gordon Gault, Amy Robinson, partner of Rory Boyce, and Louise Hutchinson, mum of Craig Yorke, were all there to share their own stories. While tragedy, loss and the poignant Knife Angel were central parts of Saturday, song and dance performances from local Newton Aycliffe children provided a brief interlude of the harrowing reality of knife crime. The back of the Knife Angel sculpture (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT) Amid the hundreds there, Durham's Police and Crime Commissioner, Joy Allen, acknowledged that while the region's knife crime rates aren't as high as in other parts of the UK, 'even one life lost is one too many.' Her message to young people was stark: 'If you carry a knife, you run the risk of killing someone, or being killed yourself. Or ending up in prison for a long, long time.' A knife crime t-shirt designed for the unveiling on Saturday (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT) As the ceremony continued, local police announced the launch of a new campaign, Pointless, aimed at tackling knife crime through a month-long amnesty and grassroots education. Surrendered weapons will be donated to the Knife Angel's creators, the British Ironworks Centre, continuing the cycle of transformation from violence to awareness. Sergeant Andy Boyd, who has patrolled Newton Aycliffe for over three decades, said the most vital tool in combating knife crime isn't harsher laws — it's courage and conscience. Read more: Mum of murdered Jack Woodley 'attacked' at Aycliffe graveside Zoey McGill launches appeal to bring Knife Angel to Newton Aycliffe Crime minister 'keen' to speak to Tanya Brown and Zoe McGill Recalling Jack Woodley's case, Boyd shared a painful what-if: 'There was one teenager who walked away when a knife was pulled. But what he didn't do was report it. Jack might still be alive if he had. That's what we're up against — silence. Fear. Loyalty in the wrong places.' In the coming weeks, schoolchildren will visit the statue, talks will be held, and police will do the rounds in visiting schools. And perhaps, amid the sorrow, lives will be changed, and education will begin at home.
