'It doesn't have to be a massive knife to take a life'

Although larger knives are banned, campaigners say pocket knives can do just as much damage

"It doesn't have to be a massive knife to take somebody's life," says the sister of a man who was fatally stabbed with a three-inch kitchen knife.

Jordan Turner and her friend Danyelle King set up a campaign called Change Lives - No To Knives to mentor teenagers in Swindon after Ms Turner's brother, Lee, died from a single stab wound to the chest in 2021.

The pair said that although they welcome the government's ban on zombie and machete knives, they fear it may not be enough to reduce knife crime.

"Lee was stabbed with a kitchen knife," said Ms Turner. "I'm all for the zombie and machete ban but it's not going to stop knife crime because they're so accessible."

Lee Turner was stabbed with a three-inch kitchen knife

Ms Turner's brother Lee, 33, was stabbed to death by a 17-year-old armed with a small kitchen knife.

In 2023, Ms Turner set up Change Lives - No to Knives with her best friend Danyelle as a way to keep Lee's legacy alive while also educating children on the impact of knife crime.

In September, "zombie-style knives" and "zombie-style machetes" were banned in England and Wales, making it an imprisonable offence to own, make, transport or sell a wide range of "statement" knives favoured by criminal gangs.

However, a recent BBC investigation discovered that it is also still possible to buy the larger banned knives online.

Danyelle and Jordan are trying to educate young people on the impact of knife crime

Danyelle King, co-founder of Change Lives - No to Knives, said children can easily buy small knives online.

As part of her own experiment, she said she was able to buy three knives for less than £10 without proof of age.

"You can give your child £5 for lunch," she said.

"With £3.60 out of that they can buy a knife online. They're not asked for any form of ID.

"They can send that to any address and they're not asked to show ID when they're collecting that from the delivery man.

"That is just increasing youth violence and that's influencing mindsets to purchase knives."

In the UK, it is illegal to sell knives to anyone under the age of 18. However, there is an exception to this rule for folding pocket knives with blades that are less than three inches long.

In the UK it is illegal to sell knives to under 18s, unless it is a foldable knife with a blade that is three inches or less

"Buying things like this is absolutely heart-breaking because it doesn't have to be a massive knife," said Ms Turner.

"It doesn't have to be a zombie or a machete to take somebody's life. Something just as simple and as little as them knives there will do a lot of damage."

At the time of his death, Lee had just been released from prison and was carrying a knife.

Ms Turner and Ms King are trying to educate young people about the dangers of carrying knives.

Recently, they were called to a school worried about a vulnerable pupil.

"We went to the school and found a knife wrapped in his school uniform jumper in a bush," said Ms Turner.

"He seems to carry it for protection. I believe he's being bullied and he is in Year 7, so he's 12 years old."

"We're never going to be able to stop knife crime but if I can do everything in my power to prevent and reduce it, that's my aim."

'There are other ways'

Ms King said the pair were working hard to teach young, vulnerable people that there are other ways to protect themselves.

"Whether that's kickboxing [or] martial arts - there are other ways," said Ms King.

"But someone that's vulnerable carrying a knife, they don't know that unless you educate them."

While they campaign, the government is also promising action.

It has created a coalition against knife crime, which includes the actor Idris Elba, with the promise of strengthening the laws around the online sales of knives.