'My son's knife death is a never-ending nightmare'

Shira Javaid says her son was "the most caring person"

The mother of a student stabbed to death by his housemate has spoken of her “never-ending nightmare”.

Shira Javaid said she was still “numb” almost a year after her son Sachin Hawkins, 19, was murdered by Syed Hussain-Kazi at his shared house in Hull.

She spoke to the BBC to support the launch of a police campaign to tackle knife crime.

"The grief and emotional damage you do cannot be reversed. Don't let a blinding moment of anger destroy everyone's lives,” she added.

The Humberside Police campaign, called What’s the Point, follows six knife deaths in the force area in the past 18 months.

It comes as a consultant in emergency medicine warns that the difference between causing a minor injury and a major one with a knife is just "blind luck".

Andrew Blackmore, who is based at Hull Royal Infirmary, said too many young people were admitted to hospital with stab wounds and the issue was affecting the mental health of staff.

Sachin Hawkins was in his second year at the University of Hull and wanted to become a special education teacher

Mr Hawkins died after he was stabbed in the chest at the house in Hardy Street on 15 November 2023.

Hussain-Kazi, 25, attacked him with a 6in (15cm) kitchen knife following a row over music.

Ms Javaid, who lives in the US, described her son as "such a fun" and "happy" person.

"He was the most caring person that you ever met," she said.

"Next month is going to be one year since Sachin passed away. Every day I wake up and I think this cannot be real.

"I can't believe that someone took my son away, and for what?"

The killer had a previous conviction for a knifepoint street robbery in 2019, and Hull Crown Court heard he had "a fascination for knives".

Ms Javaid is now calling for background and mental health checks for new students.

'No control'

Dr Blackmore said people who carried blades risked ruining their own lives as well as the lives of others.

"If you stab somebody else, you have no real control on the injuries you can cause," he said.

"You may not mean to kill someone, but it can happen.

"It depends on where somebody has been stabbed and what path that blade has taken.

"The person wielding that blade has no real control over that."

He warned that, all too often, medical staff saw the unintended consequences of knife crime.

Staff support was in place following "big, traumatic" incidents.

"It does have quite a psychological effect on people," he added.

Dr Blackmore says it is "shocking" to see young people, who are otherwise fit and well, needing trauma care

There were more than 50,000 reported knife crime offences in England and Wales in the 12 months to March 2024, including 900 in the Humberside force area, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.

Humberside Police's campaign is being backed by several bereaved families, including relatives of both Tom Gaughan, 32, who was stabbed on a night out in Cleethorpes in July last year, and Jack Howes, 29, who suffered fatal knife wounds and was left dying in a Grimsby street.

Det Supt Al Curtis, who is leading the campaign, said most knife incidents involved general household items, which were used "as a result of momentary madness", with "deadly consequences".

“Whether you find yourself in a confrontational situation at home, or are thinking about carrying a knife for your protection, ask yourself, 'what is the point?' One knife impacts more than one life,” he added.

He urged people to hand in knives as part of Operation Sceptre, the national knife amnesty, which begins on 11 November.

'Nurses in tears'

As part of the campaign, the families have spoken about their experiences for a powerful film.

Sarah Kellaway, a paramedic who tried to save Mr Hawkins, has also taken part.

She described Mr Hawkins' death as "the most pointless thing in the world".

"In that moment of anger, you've got a 19-year-old who has died," she said.

"There were his two friends on scene who were absolutely petrified and desperately trying to help him.

"You've got the person who stabbed him in the first place, who has now ruined his life.

"Then Sachin's family is never going to be the same again.

"And it's distressing for us as well. As professionally as we try to deal with it, that's a job that I'm always going to think about.

"There were nurses in tears... it was horrible."

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