· Victim's name and address would not be disclosed
· England footballers endorse campaign
Doctors will be told to inform the police whenever somebody arrives in hospital with a wound inflicted in a knife attack, under draft guidance drawn up by the General Medical Council and the Department of Health.
But accident and emergency doctors will not have to breach confidentiality by disclosing identifying details such as the patient's name and address when they first make contact.
The guidance, which will go out to consultation next month, is designed to end the dispute between the government and doctors over the medical reporting of knife wounds. Doctors have been anxious to avoid a situation where knife crime victims are deterred from going to hospital because they fear they will have to name names.
Police will not have to be informed if the injury to the patient is accidental or self-inflicted.
The guidance was disclosed as the home secretary, Jacqui Smith, announced that an extra 85 search arches and 566 search wands are to be made available to the police in the 10 knife crime "hotspots" involved in the action programme to tackle knives.
Smith said 55,000 people had been stopped and searched for knives in the 10 areas since the campaign was launched on June 5, with 2,500 arrests made for knife-related offences and 1,600 knives or other blades confiscated.
The figures were released as three England football stars, David Beckham, Rio Ferdinand and David James, joined Smith at a press conference in Watford to endorse the government's campaign, "It doesn't have to happen", urging young people not to carry knives.
Smith said the deaths of Conor James Black in Manchester and Nilanthan Murddi in Croydon, south London, at the weekend showed why the campaign was so important. "If you carry a knife you are now more likely to get caught, more likely to be prosecuted and more likely to go to prison if found guilty," she said.
Beckham said the stabbing of the brother of one of his best friends when he was a young teenager lay behind his support for the campaign. His friend, who was about to sign a contract with Leyton Orient when he intervened in a street fight, was stabbed in the back and left paralysed.
"No one wants to see the devastation I saw my friend and the family go through," said Beckham. "You don't expect situations that are happening whereby people go to school in the morning and then you never see them again because of incidents that have happened. We have got to help. We have got a voice that kids listen to so it is important we get involved in something like this."
Ferdinand said the death of Stephen Lawrence, who was several years older than him, had shaken everyone at his south-east London school. "I will never forget the day that the headmaster brought the school to a halt and said that Stephen had been killed the night before. It was a crazy atmosphere in school, very sombre and chilling. Something like that really does hit home. One day he is enjoying life, talking about doing an art A-level, and the next day he is gone."
Ferdinand, who said he did not carry a knife when he was teenager but was "around people that probably did for whatever reason", said children were wrong if they thought they needed to carry a knife for safety or to be a "big, bad tough guy".
He added: "In the past maybe there wasn't a strong enough deterrent for carrying knives. If you go to prison now, it will be a step in the right direction. People need to know it is not always the person intending to hurt someone who gets injured. People carrying the knives also get hurt.
"Communities and youth centres also need to play a bigger part. Boredom can set in a lot of times, there is a lot of peer pressure, and then something happens that everyone regrets."
Smith said: "I'm delighted the FA and the England team are supporting our campaign warning youngsters about the severe consequences of knife crime.
"You can only solve this by working together. The England players are role models for this generation and I hope their messages have a positive impact."
Thursday, 4 September 2008
Man arrested over stabbing of Croydon teenager
A man has been arrested in connection with the murder of a 17-year-old boy who was stabbed in the neck during a street fight in Croydon, south London.
Nilanthan Moorthy died of a single stab wound following the incident, which police think may have been racially motivated, at 1am on Saturday.
The man, aged 30, was arrested at an address in Sydenham, south London, in the early hours of this morning.
Scotland Yard believes a man who argued with Moorthy and a group of his friends may have returned shortly afterwards to carry out the attack.
An alleged racist comment was directed at the group in the early stages of the confrontation, police said.
Moorthy was the 23rd teenager to die violently in the capital this year.
Detective Chief Inspector Tim Grattan-Kane, who is leading the investigation, said: "We remain dedicated to finding and prosecuting the person responsible for Nilanthan's murder, irrespective of whether the incident is racially motivated or otherwise.
"However, should that prove to be the case, it only serves to further highlight the tragedy of this young man's murder."
Police are looking for a taxi driver who they believe may have had the suspect in his cab half an hour before the murder.
Moorthy's sister Santhiya, 18, said his parents had been "destroyed" by his death.
Nilanthan Moorthy died of a single stab wound following the incident, which police think may have been racially motivated, at 1am on Saturday.
The man, aged 30, was arrested at an address in Sydenham, south London, in the early hours of this morning.
Scotland Yard believes a man who argued with Moorthy and a group of his friends may have returned shortly afterwards to carry out the attack.
An alleged racist comment was directed at the group in the early stages of the confrontation, police said.
Moorthy was the 23rd teenager to die violently in the capital this year.
Detective Chief Inspector Tim Grattan-Kane, who is leading the investigation, said: "We remain dedicated to finding and prosecuting the person responsible for Nilanthan's murder, irrespective of whether the incident is racially motivated or otherwise.
"However, should that prove to be the case, it only serves to further highlight the tragedy of this young man's murder."
Police are looking for a taxi driver who they believe may have had the suspect in his cab half an hour before the murder.
Moorthy's sister Santhiya, 18, said his parents had been "destroyed" by his death.
Two teenagers killed in stabbings
Two teenagers were stabbed to death today in separate attacks in London and Manchester.
Connor James Black, 16, died from a stab wound after a row at a party in Harpurhey, Manchester.
The joinery student was rushed from the scene on Moston Lane but died on the way to hospital.
Meanwhile, a 17-year-old boy died in London after being stabbed in a street fight. A man in his 20s was today arrested in connection with the murder.
Detective Superintendent Shaun Donnellan said Connor had been stabbed in the back and he appealed for anyone with information about a hooded figure seen running from the area to come forward.
"Connor was a member of a loving family though he was known to the police but not for anything serious,'' he said.
"As of yet there is no motive but it is very early days.
"He was stabbed in the back and had no defence against it."
Two knives have been found and were being tested for DNA and fingerprints, Donnellan said.
"There were many young people out and about last night. I am confident they have seen something.
"There is a willingness to help and people want to do the right thing."
Connor's brother and sister, Jordan and Kirsty Scullion, spoke of their shock as they laid flowers near the scene this morning.
Miss Scullion, 18, said: "He was a loveable lad who was never really in trouble.
"He was respectful but there had been trouble at this party. Someone told me that Connor was thought to have said something to someone, which he denied.
"It all then got out of hand and there was a commotion and he ended up getting stabbed. He wasn't the sort of lad who would look for trouble but he would back himself up."
Forensic officers examined the murder scene as detectives and patrol officers carried out house-to-house inquiries.
Jordan Scullion, 15, said: "He was a really good lad, I can't believe this has happened.
"He had everything to live for and was a normal young lad, into football."
In London, police were called at 1.33am to reports of a group of between six and eight men fighting on Sumner Road at the junction with London Road in Croydon.
Police and ambulance staff found the 17-year-old, who is Sri Lankan, with a wound to the neck.
He was taken to the nearby Mayday hospital, where he later died.
Connor James Black, 16, died from a stab wound after a row at a party in Harpurhey, Manchester.
The joinery student was rushed from the scene on Moston Lane but died on the way to hospital.
Meanwhile, a 17-year-old boy died in London after being stabbed in a street fight. A man in his 20s was today arrested in connection with the murder.
Detective Superintendent Shaun Donnellan said Connor had been stabbed in the back and he appealed for anyone with information about a hooded figure seen running from the area to come forward.
"Connor was a member of a loving family though he was known to the police but not for anything serious,'' he said.
"As of yet there is no motive but it is very early days.
"He was stabbed in the back and had no defence against it."
Two knives have been found and were being tested for DNA and fingerprints, Donnellan said.
"There were many young people out and about last night. I am confident they have seen something.
"There is a willingness to help and people want to do the right thing."
Connor's brother and sister, Jordan and Kirsty Scullion, spoke of their shock as they laid flowers near the scene this morning.
Miss Scullion, 18, said: "He was a loveable lad who was never really in trouble.
"He was respectful but there had been trouble at this party. Someone told me that Connor was thought to have said something to someone, which he denied.
"It all then got out of hand and there was a commotion and he ended up getting stabbed. He wasn't the sort of lad who would look for trouble but he would back himself up."
Forensic officers examined the murder scene as detectives and patrol officers carried out house-to-house inquiries.
Jordan Scullion, 15, said: "He was a really good lad, I can't believe this has happened.
"He had everything to live for and was a normal young lad, into football."
In London, police were called at 1.33am to reports of a group of between six and eight men fighting on Sumner Road at the junction with London Road in Croydon.
Police and ambulance staff found the 17-year-old, who is Sri Lankan, with a wound to the neck.
He was taken to the nearby Mayday hospital, where he later died.
Wednesday, 3 September 2008
Crackdown on shops selling knives to teenagers
Young volunteers will help police flush out shopkeepers who illegally sell knives to children.
Retailers across England and Wales face a "mystery shopper" crackdown as part of the drive to tackle knife crime.
Government ministers and police chiefs want to stop dangerous weapons falling in to the hands of young people.
Ten police forces in England and Wales, covering stabbing hotspots such as London, the West Midlands, Manchester and West Yorkshire, will take part.
Volunteers aged under 18, supervised by plainclothes police officers and trading standards officials, will attempt to buy knives.
Those caught selling the potentially dangerous weapons to children face a fine of up to £5,000 and a maximum of six months in jail.
Anyone knowingly selling to an under-18 through internet sites, including eBay, would also commit an offence.
Home Office minister Vernon Coaker said he is concerned about how young people can access knives.
Retailers across England and Wales face a "mystery shopper" crackdown as part of the drive to tackle knife crime.
Government ministers and police chiefs want to stop dangerous weapons falling in to the hands of young people.
Ten police forces in England and Wales, covering stabbing hotspots such as London, the West Midlands, Manchester and West Yorkshire, will take part.
Volunteers aged under 18, supervised by plainclothes police officers and trading standards officials, will attempt to buy knives.
Those caught selling the potentially dangerous weapons to children face a fine of up to £5,000 and a maximum of six months in jail.
Anyone knowingly selling to an under-18 through internet sites, including eBay, would also commit an offence.
Home Office minister Vernon Coaker said he is concerned about how young people can access knives.
London knife possession charges fall 50%
The number of people charged with knife possession in London has fallen by half in the past four years, police said today.
New figures released by Scotland Yard show the number of people charged with possessing a knife or sharp instrument has dropped by just over 50% since 2004.
The data reveal that 2,810 people were charged with possession in 2004, but that fell to 1,361 in the 12 months to April this year.
In London this year, 22 teenagers have died violently, 15 of those in stabbings.
"Tackling knife crime is a top priority for the Met, with enforcement activity taking place across the capital every day under Operation Blunt 2, which was launched in May," a Scotland Yard spokesman said.
The spokesman said 1,187 people - 887 adults and 300 youths - had been charged with possession of a knife or sharp instrument since the beginning of April this year. "That represents 88% of all of those arrested for this offence … with the charge rate having risen to over 90% in recent weeks."
Since the launch of Operation Blunt 2, police officers have carried out 48,869 stop and searches, seized 1,445 knives, carried out more than 340 screening arch operations and arrested more than 2,000 people.
Yesterday, the prime minister, Gordon Brown, said carrying a knife was "unacceptable ... You need not just young people, but parents and other people, to say that knives in Britain, like guns, like bullying, like racism, all these things are unacceptable."
Last week, magistrates were given new guidelines on sentencing those caught carrying knives. Offenders will now face a prison sentence of up to three months, while those using knives to threaten or intimidate face six months or more.
New figures released by Scotland Yard show the number of people charged with possessing a knife or sharp instrument has dropped by just over 50% since 2004.
The data reveal that 2,810 people were charged with possession in 2004, but that fell to 1,361 in the 12 months to April this year.
In London this year, 22 teenagers have died violently, 15 of those in stabbings.
"Tackling knife crime is a top priority for the Met, with enforcement activity taking place across the capital every day under Operation Blunt 2, which was launched in May," a Scotland Yard spokesman said.
The spokesman said 1,187 people - 887 adults and 300 youths - had been charged with possession of a knife or sharp instrument since the beginning of April this year. "That represents 88% of all of those arrested for this offence … with the charge rate having risen to over 90% in recent weeks."
Since the launch of Operation Blunt 2, police officers have carried out 48,869 stop and searches, seized 1,445 knives, carried out more than 340 screening arch operations and arrested more than 2,000 people.
Yesterday, the prime minister, Gordon Brown, said carrying a knife was "unacceptable ... You need not just young people, but parents and other people, to say that knives in Britain, like guns, like bullying, like racism, all these things are unacceptable."
Last week, magistrates were given new guidelines on sentencing those caught carrying knives. Offenders will now face a prison sentence of up to three months, while those using knives to threaten or intimidate face six months or more.
16-year-old sentenced to life for stabbing schoolboy to death in 'revenge attack'
A 16-year-old boy who killed a 14-year-old by stabbing him as he lay pleading for his life on a London pavement was yesterday sentenced to life imprisonment and told he would serve a minimum of 12 years.
Joseph Chin was found guilty of murder at the Old Bailey last month and yesterday was led from the dock to his detention after killing schoolboy Martin Dinnegan in June last year. Killer and victim were part of two groups of youths that had exchanged dirty looks just one hour before. Kevron Williams, 17, who was convicted of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm, was given four years in youth detention.
Dinnegan had been on a bus with friends when they swapped stares with a group of youths on bicycles. When they got off the bus, a fight began between the groups and Dinnegan was chased. He held out his hands in a bid to placate his attacker but fell down after he was punched in the head. Chin pinned him to the ground before stabbing him four times in the back.
Judge Brian Barker said: "The public have every right to be concerned about the increased growth of this sort of violence. It is a tragedy that this sort of triviality caused such a young man to lose his life and has caused enduring heartache to his friends and family."
He went on: "This was a deliberate attack requiring a long chase with revenge in mind. This was really arrogant group violence and the result is totally unacceptable. It was an attack carried out without any regard to the standards and rules that we live by and no thought for the victim, his friends and his family."
The judge told Chin: "I have little doubt that you are a willful individual. You are prone to anger. You have shown a tendency to use violence when it suits you."
He told Williams he had been acting with "immaturity coupled with a misguided sense of principality and loyalty".
Chin stabbed Dinnegan after being knifed twice himself during a series of flare-ups between the two groups.
The judge told him: "This was a vengeful attack out of all proportion to what may have gone on before and no mercy was shown."
Chin had a criminal record dating back to 2004, including threatening a man with a hollow bar. In September 2006 he was given a 12-month supervision order after kicking a shopkeeper unconscious when challenged for stealing food. He was still under the order when Martin died the following June.
In a statement read to the court, Martin's mother Lorraine said: "Martin was a charming, loving boy who has left us with cherished memories that will remain with us forever.
"The pain that Martin's death has caused for our family is indescribable. Life will never be the same, a piece of our heart has been taken. We as a family will never make sense of the unnecessary suffering that was inflicted upon Martin. It was extremely sad to be burying Martin at the tender age of 14."
Acting detective chief inspector Stewart Hill said: "The murder of Martin highlights the potentially fatal consequences that may result from carrying knives and other weapons. In this case an innocuous meeting of two groups of youths escalated into a series of confrontations resulting in Martin's tragic murder. "
Prosecutor Aftab Jafferjee QC said: "This case graphically illustrates the growing scourge of urban posturing, which includes the aimless meandering among groups of people who are prepared to, if not actively seeking confrontation, exploit any pretext in order to engage in aggressive violent behaviour."
Joseph Chin was found guilty of murder at the Old Bailey last month and yesterday was led from the dock to his detention after killing schoolboy Martin Dinnegan in June last year. Killer and victim were part of two groups of youths that had exchanged dirty looks just one hour before. Kevron Williams, 17, who was convicted of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm, was given four years in youth detention.
Dinnegan had been on a bus with friends when they swapped stares with a group of youths on bicycles. When they got off the bus, a fight began between the groups and Dinnegan was chased. He held out his hands in a bid to placate his attacker but fell down after he was punched in the head. Chin pinned him to the ground before stabbing him four times in the back.
Judge Brian Barker said: "The public have every right to be concerned about the increased growth of this sort of violence. It is a tragedy that this sort of triviality caused such a young man to lose his life and has caused enduring heartache to his friends and family."
He went on: "This was a deliberate attack requiring a long chase with revenge in mind. This was really arrogant group violence and the result is totally unacceptable. It was an attack carried out without any regard to the standards and rules that we live by and no thought for the victim, his friends and his family."
The judge told Chin: "I have little doubt that you are a willful individual. You are prone to anger. You have shown a tendency to use violence when it suits you."
He told Williams he had been acting with "immaturity coupled with a misguided sense of principality and loyalty".
Chin stabbed Dinnegan after being knifed twice himself during a series of flare-ups between the two groups.
The judge told him: "This was a vengeful attack out of all proportion to what may have gone on before and no mercy was shown."
Chin had a criminal record dating back to 2004, including threatening a man with a hollow bar. In September 2006 he was given a 12-month supervision order after kicking a shopkeeper unconscious when challenged for stealing food. He was still under the order when Martin died the following June.
In a statement read to the court, Martin's mother Lorraine said: "Martin was a charming, loving boy who has left us with cherished memories that will remain with us forever.
"The pain that Martin's death has caused for our family is indescribable. Life will never be the same, a piece of our heart has been taken. We as a family will never make sense of the unnecessary suffering that was inflicted upon Martin. It was extremely sad to be burying Martin at the tender age of 14."
Acting detective chief inspector Stewart Hill said: "The murder of Martin highlights the potentially fatal consequences that may result from carrying knives and other weapons. In this case an innocuous meeting of two groups of youths escalated into a series of confrontations resulting in Martin's tragic murder. "
Prosecutor Aftab Jafferjee QC said: "This case graphically illustrates the growing scourge of urban posturing, which includes the aimless meandering among groups of people who are prepared to, if not actively seeking confrontation, exploit any pretext in order to engage in aggressive violent behaviour."
Youth sentenced to life for knife murder of schoolboy
A 16-year-old youth was today sentenced to life for murdering the schoolboy Martin Dinnegan last June.
Joseph Chin will serve a minimum of 12 years in prison for stabbing his 14-year-old victim in the back four times in north London.
The attack happened following an exchange of "dirty looks" between two groups of teenagers in Holloway. Dinnegan tried to outrun his pursuers, shouting "Please help me" to passers-by as he fled.
"This was a deliberate attack requiring a long chase with revenge in mind," said the judge, Brian Barker.
"It was an attack carried out without any regard to the standards and rules that we live by and no thought for the victim, his friends and his family.
"It is a tragedy that this sort of triviality caused such a young man to lose his life and has caused enduring heartache to his friends and family."
Dinnegan's parents, Lorraine and James, who have called on Gordon Brown to tackle Britain's rampant knife culture, were at the Old Bailey with their eldest son to see Chin jailed.
The teenager can be named for the first time after a court ban on identifying him was lifted. He was unanimously convicted of murder by a jury last month.
Chin's friend Kevron Williams, 17, was convicted of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent during the same attack, and was sentenced to four years' youth detention.
Dinnegan, a pupil at St Aloysius College in Highgate, was the 15th teenager murdered in London in 2007. He had moved to London 11 years ago with his parents from his mother's hometown, Glasgow.
During the trial, Aftab Jafferjee QC, prosecuting, said teenagers showing off in front of their friends and being prepared to use violence had become a scourge of cities and towns. "This is such a case, which leads from dirty looks to death in one hour," he said.
Chin stabbed Dinnegan after being knifed twice himself during a series of flare-ups between the two groups.
The teenager had a criminal record dating back to 2004, including the possession of a snooker ball in a sock and threatening a man with a hollow bar.
"You have shown a tendency to use violence when it suits you," the judge told Chin. "The public have every right to be concerned about the increase growth of this sort of violence."
Joseph Chin will serve a minimum of 12 years in prison for stabbing his 14-year-old victim in the back four times in north London.
The attack happened following an exchange of "dirty looks" between two groups of teenagers in Holloway. Dinnegan tried to outrun his pursuers, shouting "Please help me" to passers-by as he fled.
"This was a deliberate attack requiring a long chase with revenge in mind," said the judge, Brian Barker.
"It was an attack carried out without any regard to the standards and rules that we live by and no thought for the victim, his friends and his family.
"It is a tragedy that this sort of triviality caused such a young man to lose his life and has caused enduring heartache to his friends and family."
Dinnegan's parents, Lorraine and James, who have called on Gordon Brown to tackle Britain's rampant knife culture, were at the Old Bailey with their eldest son to see Chin jailed.
The teenager can be named for the first time after a court ban on identifying him was lifted. He was unanimously convicted of murder by a jury last month.
Chin's friend Kevron Williams, 17, was convicted of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent during the same attack, and was sentenced to four years' youth detention.
Dinnegan, a pupil at St Aloysius College in Highgate, was the 15th teenager murdered in London in 2007. He had moved to London 11 years ago with his parents from his mother's hometown, Glasgow.
During the trial, Aftab Jafferjee QC, prosecuting, said teenagers showing off in front of their friends and being prepared to use violence had become a scourge of cities and towns. "This is such a case, which leads from dirty looks to death in one hour," he said.
Chin stabbed Dinnegan after being knifed twice himself during a series of flare-ups between the two groups.
The teenager had a criminal record dating back to 2004, including the possession of a snooker ball in a sock and threatening a man with a hollow bar.
"You have shown a tendency to use violence when it suits you," the judge told Chin. "The public have every right to be concerned about the increase growth of this sort of violence."
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