Stab victim's mum wants more work to tackle knives

Lisa Theobald, from Doncaster, is calling for more intervention to tackle knife crime

A mother whose son was stabbed to death during a night out has called for politicians from all parties to put knife crime to the forefront of their election campaigns.

Ryan Theobald, 20, and his friend Janis Kozlovskis, 17, were murdered outside a bar on Silver Street in Doncaster in January 2022 following an altercation with a group of men.

Amrit Jhagra, 19, was convicted and imprisoned after being caught on CCTV chasing the two victims and stabbing them.

Ryan’s mother Lisa Theobald told the BBC that she believes that knife crime incidents have increased in Doncaster since her son's death.

Youth club funding

“It’s got out of hand. I just want it to stop. Somebody has got to do something now,” she said.

Ms Theobald has asked for more debate about knife crime on the campaign trail, increased investment in its prevention and assurances from party leaders that the issue will be a priority.

She called for more support for youth clubs and education for children about the dangers of carrying knives.

“We were supposed to have all this funding for the youth clubs to be back open. I’ll go to a youth club and open it if we get the money. All of these kids need to be educated from a young age and told about all this knife crime.”

The number of crimes involving knives or sharp instruments in England and Wales stood at 49,489 in 2023, up 7% from 46,153 in 2022.

In West Yorkshire 2,349 knife crime incidents were recorded in 2023. There were 1,532 in South Yorkshire, which includes Doncaster, and 300 in North Yorkshire.

Ryan and his friend Janis were on a night out in Doncaster when they were stabbed to death after an argument with another group

Former Eastenders actress Brooke Kinsella set up the Ben Kinsella Trust in memory of her brother, who was stabbed to death in 2008. She feared more families would suffer unless the issue was tackled urgently.

She said: “Loopholes in legislation and lax online age verification make it shockingly easy to acquire dangerous knives. Unsanctioned violent content on social media further exposes young minds to knife crime. It is a silent epidemic.”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said he has a goal of halving knife crime incidents within 10 years and has committed to chairing an annual summit to track progress.

His party wants ministers, victims and tech giants to work together to tackle the sale of weapons online and also plans to introduce guaranteed sanctions for young people carrying knives.

The Conservatives have promised tougher sentences for knife crime and the party has said it will give every neighbourhood an additional police officer by recruiting 8,000 more constables.

The Liberal Democrats' manifesto includes a pledge to implement "youth diversion" schemes in every area, and the Green Party offers practical solutions, such as emergency bleed kits and staff training for bars and more lighting and CCTV in "blind spot" areas.

Reform UK have advocated a return of training camps for young people with criminal records, which would give them a basic education and teach teamwork and values.

Ryan Theobald, right, playing football for Bessacarr FC

Despite these manifesto promises, Ms Theobald said she is not sure if she will vote in the upcoming general election because of her disappointment in politicians.

She added: “What are you going to do to stop it? That’s what I want to know. I’m angry and frustrated. Why aren’t people doing anything?”

Timeline of violence

Since Ryan and Janis were stabbed to death by Amrit Jhagra in January 2022, there have been a number of other serious incidents in Doncaster involving knives.

• In April 2023, two boys aged 15 and 16 were left with "life-altering" injuries after being attacked by four men with weapons including machetes and a zombie knife in a warehouse in Askern. The group were later jailed for the "revenge" assault which was triggered by a dispute over a stolen bike.

• In August 2023, a man in his 50s was stabbed and slashed in the face outside a soft play centre in the Wheatley area following an altercation between two drivers.

• In February 2024, a man was hospitalised after he was stabbed outside a Tesco Express store in Bentley.

• In May 2024, two men were seriously injured by knives during an attack by a group of assailants, also in Bentley.

• In the same month, a 20-year-old man was arrested for possession of a knife after assaulting a bouncer outside a bar in the city centre.

• In June 2024, a 30-year-old man suffered serious knife injuries during a group attack in Edlington.

Eight months after the Silver Street murders, two drug dealers were jailed for the fatal stabbing of "rival" Joevester Takyi-Sarpong. They chased and cornered him in October 2021 before stabbing him in the legs, severing a major artery. He bled to death behind a disused county court building in Doncaster city centre and was only found the following morning by a passing driver.