A grieving grandmother has warned that knife crime has become a “national crisis” in Britain, claiming the frequency of stabbings means the violence is being treated as “the normal”.
Julie Taylor, who lost her 19-year-old grandson Liam to a brutal knife attack in 2020, spoke out as two more boys fight for their lives in hospital following an attack in a London school.
Speaking to GB News, Mrs Taylor described the “absolute devastation” and the “huge ripple effect” that follows every incident, as she called for tougher deterrents and an end to the “textbook” approach to education.
Mrs Taylor said: “I know this is happening every single day, and it’s becoming the norm but it should not be the norm.
“I’m aware of three stabbings just yesterday, not only these two poor lads. My thoughts, prayers and strength go out to everyone affected, because it devastates everybody.
“There’s a huge ripple effect, absolute devastation for everyone involved.”
She added: “We have to have all of these deterrents in place, absolutely everything, and more.
“If we take them away, we’re left with even less protection, aren’t we? This has now become a national crisis, and agencies are working as hard as they possibly can.
Julie Taylor said that knife crime is a ‘national crisis’
|
GB NEWS
“In Essex, knife crime rates are lower than they were, and we have a brilliant police force doing the very best they can as are police forces across the country. Nobody wants this to happen.
“Every deterrent we can use matters, but I believe it all starts with education.
“All of us campaigners who have lost loved ones belong to a club nobody ever wants to join the Bereaved Families Club.
“We work as hard as we possibly can because we are telling real-life stories. We’re not reading from a textbook, we’re telling it exactly how it is.”
LATEST ON BRITAIN’S KNIFE CRIME EPIDEMIC:
Liam Taylor was brutally stabbed in an attack in 2020
|
GB NEWS
Mrs Taylor’s grandson, Liam, was murdered six years ago in what the court described as a case of being “in the wrong place at the wrong time”.
Liam, who had no involvement in any prior disputes, was targeted in a horrific 13-second attack.
During that brief window, he was stabbed six times and suffered a total of 28 separate injuries.
“These young people are so angry,” Mrs Taylor said.
“We lost Liam six years ago. He was brutally murdered. We have to educate, calm people down and stop them carrying knives.”
Here’s a clean rewrite with fresh wording, tight and neutral, but still strong and clear:
A counter-terrorism policing unit took charge of the investigation on Tuesday night after two boys, aged 13 and 12, were stabbed at a school in north-west London.
Officers were called to Kingsbury High School in Brent on Tuesday afternoon following reports that a 13-year-old pupil had been stabbed.
On arrival, police discovered a second victim, a 12-year-old boy, who had also suffered stab wounds.
A 13-year-old has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams, who oversees policing in north-west London, said both boys remain in a serious condition, with officers awaiting further updates on their condition.