Knife killer boasted of crime

Jonathan Kean aged 23 was jailed for life yesterday in Glasgow, for the murder of disabled Martin Broadley. Kean shouted "I'm Jocky, I've been on the telly, I've just murdered some guy" to a group of youths as he ran from the scene.

Lord Turnbull ordered that he must serve at least 12 years before he can apply for parole.
The judge said "You have pled guilty to a despicable act of violence perpetrated on an innocent and vulnerable man who was a complete stranger to you and for no apparent reason."
Ashley Edwards, prosecuting, told the court that Kean had a number of convictions for violence and possession of a knife.

New Lord Chief Justice vows to be tough on knife crime

The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, said knife crime must be "eradicated".(Article Here)

Lord Judge spoke as he trebled a teenager's sentence for repeatedly stabbing a refugee following a row over the quality of chips.

Sitting at the Appeal Court with Mr Justice Owen and Mr Justice Christopher Clarke, he said the youth's 12-month sentence was "significantly unduly lenient" given the injuries inflicted on his victim, who lost 1.2 litres of blood in the November 2007 attack.

Abdul Jabarkhil, who had fled a war zone for the apparent safe haven of London, was stabbed six times by the youth, who cannot be named, after a late-night row at the Dixie Chicken take-away in Golders Green, north London.

Mr Jabarkhil had refused a full refund for chips that were said to be below-standard.

Lord Judge said: "Let us repeat this message from the court: Those who carry knives on the streets, and use them to wound and injure, must expect severe punishment. No ifs, no buts, no perhaps.

"We must do what we can to eradicate this dreadful problem of knives being carried and used."

The chip shop row culminated in the friend hurling chips at Mr Jabarkhil and restaurant's staff ushering the teenagers onto the street.

Mr Jabarkhil was then punched by another of the youth's accomplices outside and repeatedly stabbed by the 16-year-old.

The youth was detained for 12 months at Harrow Crown Court in June this year after admitting wounding with intent. His two accomplices received lesser sentences after admitting affray.

The case reached the Appeal Court as Attorney General, Baroness Scotland, called for an increase in the 16-year-old's "unduly lenient" sentence.

Lord Judge, appointed as the new Lord Chief Justice last week, agreed the sentence was too light and upped the sentence to three years.
Telegraph 08/10/08

Community Champions

You may remember that CABOT with Communities Against Knife Crime set up a petition with 10 Downing Street to promote the setting up of Community Champions in the fight against knife crime.
Neighbourhoods are no longer communities, they lack the spirit of bygone years.
Champions are needed to bring neighbourhoods together and to act as a springboard between agencies and the public.For example, too often these days, stories are to be found in local papers about bodies being found weeks, months and in some cases years, before they are discovered. When this happens, local people are quick enough to slate the local authority and social services. Surely, we are all to blame equally?
Years ago, when the milk was left on the step of a neighbour or the newspaper or mail were sticking out of a letterbox the community rallied and notified the correct authorities that there may be a problem.
This was community spirit, not surveillance or interference.
*Find a neighbour, exchange phone numbers, tell them if you are going away!
*Look out for more vulnerable neighbours - if you are concerned about them talk to your local Police Community Support Officer, they can pop round and check if a person is all right.
This is another role Community Champions could take on, they could be a point of liaison between the authorities and the community.

Quiet weekend?

Looking at all the on line newspapers this morning, to see if there is anything to update this Blog, I was so pleased to see London has had a quiet weekend on the knife front......... However, I then looked at the Midlands.
Overshadowing everything else for me these past few days (not actually knife crime related) is the death of Shaun Dykes in Derby, and the behaviour of a "significant minority" {sic} who goaded and taunted him until he jumped to his death, and according to popular press, rushed to film him on mobile phones during and after the fall to his death.
What a side indictment of society - Is human life really that cheap to some? I don't suppose the people who did this are capable of shame because of their actions, for a second.
If you are suffering, dispairing or just need to talk to someone, PLEASE call or email the Samaritans Here

D**khead of the year award (Retail).......

.............. Has to go to TK Maxx!
Who would be so utterly reprehensible and irresponsible in this climate of fear to market free knives with a jacket purchase??????
Appalling, wrong & lots of other words I will not use on a Blog that can be accessed by under 18's!

Community justice pilots get the go ahead

Six areas in the UK are to pilot citizens panels to suggest community sentences for local offenders. Leicester, Manchester, Suffolk, Hampshire, Wiltshire and north Wales are the areas chosen and if the pilots are successful the initiative will go country wide.
The scheme has been initiated in the wake of Louise Casey's report to the Government which showed there was a need for communities to be involved in the justice process.

Don't back down David!

Society is broken, not just fractured in places, broken so badly that the bone protrudes from the skin and a series of operations is needed to repair it!
Imagine for a second that you had a knife in your hand, could you just casually thrust out your arm and take a life away without a thought for the person you were attacking? Without a thought for the family and friends that are left to grieve for a life cut short - perhaps a life that would have been used to cure cancer or write the next classic novel?
There are people who can, they must be dead on the inside. Society needs to be fixed. It needs more than a band-aid.