Mum of stab victim urges action to tackle knife crime after 15-year-old's death
The mum of stab death boy Alfie Lewis yesterday fell to her knees and cried “Why?” at the scene of his killing.
Distraught Heather Lane, 46, sobbed with anguish as she surveyed the tributes to the tragic 15-year-old, who died outside a school in Leeds. The football-mad youngster’s family called him “one in a million”. A boy of 14 has been arrested.
Meanwhile the mum of another teenage victim demanded Rishi Sunak urgently tackle the knife crime epidemic sweeping Britain. As tributes were laid at the spot where the latest young victim of the violence sweeping Britain died, the 15-year-old’s family said: “You will shine in the sky, as bright as you did in all our lives.”
And Tanya Brown, 43,whose son Connor, 18, was killed in Sunderland in February 2019, urged Rishi Sunak to put more police on the beat. She echoed the Mirror’s demands for No10 to tackle the underlying problems that have led to the knife crime epidemic.
A picture left with flowers said to be mother Heather and Alfie (Ben Lack Photography Ltd)Tanya said: “We need more police on the streets. We need more youth services. We need more engagement with young people. We need to bring back community centres, we need to give these children a focus. Education in knife crime is massively important. I don’t want our children becoming statistics. These are young people with their whole lives in front of them and it is snatched away so cruelly.”
Mourners gather at purple-themed vigil to remember girl, 15, stabbed to death
Lucy Waddington, who lives near Alfie, added: “Lesson to us all, knife crime is going nowhere and we need to start educating our children no matter how young.” Alfie, 15, was stabbed to death on Tuesday afternoon as he went to meet pals near his home in Horsforth, Leeds.
His distraught mum Heather Lane, 46, yesterday sobbed as she surveyed the mound of tributes. She then fell to her knees and cried: “Why?” The mother-of-two arrived with her older son Antony, a football coach.
A bench in Horsforth (Ben Lack Photography Ltd)Football-mad Alfie is thought to have been stabbed in the chest and leg, as horrified parents and children from a nearby primary school looked on. West Yorkshire Police yesterday revealed a 14-year-old boy had been arrested on suspicion of his murder and was last night being quizzed.
In a statement, Alfie’s family said they “haven’t got the words to describe how devastated we all are” and added: “Alfie you were one in a million. You had the biggest heart and took care of everybody around you. You will never know just how much you are loved and you will always be our uncle Alfie. We love you so much. Nothing will ever be the same without you.”
MP Stuart Andrew lays flowers at the bench where tributes are being laid (Ben Lack Photography Ltd)
Many tributes have been left at the scene of the tragedy (Ben Lack Photography Ltd)Teachers, a nurse and a doctor, desperately tried to save Alfie, as he lay in a pool of blood after the attack. It is believed he had been moved to a specialist school a few years ago after being expelled but kept in touch with his former classmates and was said to have turned his life around.
One friend said: “He would never carry a knife himself, he is not like that. He loved playing football and couldn’t wait to join his brother’s team.” Alfie’s pal Maisie Tattersall, 14, arrived to lay flowers and added: “He was such a beautiful soul. He was an amazing best friend and adored by everyone.”
MasterChef: The professionals 2016 runner-up Matt Healy described Alfie’s death as “absolutely shocking”. The 40-year-old dad, who lives in Horsforth, said: “My daughter’s very close friends with him. There’s a massive group of them who all hang round together. He really cared for his friends. This is such a sleepy and lovely town. You never see any bother. It’s difficult to put into words. It’s shocking to see knife crime come to a town like this.”
Senior investigating officer detective chief inspector Stacey Atkinson said: “Alfie’s family are devastated about his death in such circumstances, and we are doing everything we can to support them and get them the answers they need.” Mr Sunak insisted No10 is “doing everything we can to clamp down in particular on knife crime”.
But the number of fatal stabbings in England and Wales has reached its highest level since records began 76 years ago. There were 282 deaths from a knife in the year to March 2022, 19% increase on the previous 12 months, official figures show. The largest increase was for boys aged 16 to 17, rising from 10 to 24.
The Mirror has called for:
'Gentle giant' killer stabs man after being accused of flirting with girlfriend
1. More beat officers with extra powers.
2. A reverse to the swingeing cuts to Britain’s youth services. Scotland halted the increase in knife crime by giving young people help with education, training and housing.
3. Every secondary school teaching kids the dangers of carrying weapons
4. Tackle the underlying problems. Children excluded from school are twice as likely to carry a knife. Pupil Referral Units have become ”finishing schools” for gangs
5. A knife crime tsar to coordinate response to the crisis
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