Machete attacks leave children with 'war-zone' injuries, say Leeds trauma staff

Staff at a West Yorkshire major trauma centre say they are concerned about the number of injuries they are seeing inflicted on children and adults with machete-style weapons.

Doctors warn the large blades cause complex wounds and result in significant trauma for both the victims and those who come to their aid.

The BBC spent three weekends at Leeds General Infirmary to see the reality facing medical teams.

Some readers may find an image showing injury and the subject matter discussed below distressing

'Am I dying?'

It is a busy Saturday night and a patient who arrived by ambulance is asking for reassurance.

The 33-year-old man has come to the major trauma centre in Leeds with serious knife wounds across his face.

He is taken into resus - the area reserved for patients with the most severe injuries - and his bloodied trainers are removed.

"He is a chap that helpfully has been quite lucky," says Catherine Holmes, the on-duty consultant.

"His injuries are all facial injuries without any significant injury to his chest, his abdomen, his pelvis.

"He thought he might have been hit or punched and then he realised there had been a knife involved in the incident."

A 33-year-old man said he initially thought he had been punched in the face, but realised a blade had been used

Several of the medics tell us the number of knife crime victims they are treating is a real concern.

Staff nurse Matt Tasker says his job has made him think twice about the future for his family.

He asks: "I've just become a dad and it worries me about how, if things are bad now, how are they going to be later down the line?

"Me and my wife have talked about moving to other areas where I can still work but have less chance of knife crime."

Knife crime led to the deaths of 15-year-old Alfie Lewis (L) in Leeds on 7 November 2023 and Khayri Mclean, also 15, in Huddersfield on 21 September 2022

The major trauma centre has seen the aftermath of recent knife crime tragedies involving young people which have shocked local communities.

Alfie Lewis, 15, died at the hospital in late 2023 after being stabbed outside a school in Horsforth.

Khayri Mclean, also 15, died shortly after being stabbed on his way home from school in Huddersfield in 2022.

'With a machete the wound is much larger'

It is another Saturday night and a mother has arrived at the children's A&E department with her 14-year-old son.

He has wounds to his leg doctors believe may have been inflicted with a machete, with nurses told he was attacked by a group he did not know.

Simon Rush, lead paediatric advanced practitioner, says this boy's case follows a rising trend at the hospital.

"We are seeing it increasingly now that young people are advising us that they don't know the assailants," he explains.

"It's not that we don't believe them - but sometimes we wonder whether actually they do but they're scared to tell us who these people actually are."

On The Front Line: The Knife Crime Emergency is available to watch on BBC iPlayer now.

The larger machete or sword-type blades are causing more significant injuries too.

"With a machete the wound is much larger," emergency medicine consultant Dr Sundararaj Manou explains.

"I think the kids or the young ones don't really understand - it's only when they've stabbed somebody, they realise the implications of it."

He adds: "I think a little bit more education in schools might help."

There are efforts being made by the hospital to prevent the young people they are treating coming back with even more serious injuries.

Patients aged between 11 and 25 who have been victims of violent crime are visited by A&E navigators, a team of youth workers who help them access support including mental health treatment.

'It's a terrifying experience'

On a Tuesday morning, A&E navigator Rowan Jameson-Mcauley has been to see a teenager who arrived overnight after being attacked with a sharp weapon.

"He seems to be doing OK, as OK as somebody can be after that situation," he says.

He tells us that most of the patients he visits are young men trying to put on a brave face in a scary situation.

A&E navigator Rowan Jameson-Mcauley helps support young victims of violent crime while they recover

"They wouldn't admit that they're scared, but I think for any human being who has been attacked by multiple assailants with machetes, it's a terrifying experience," he says.

"It's similar to what people would go through in a war zone, so it's traumatising for a 15-year-old to go through that."

The impact of being involved in a knife attack can be long lasting, even for those who do not suffer serious injury.

Kamil arrived at the major trauma centre on a Friday night after being stabbed in the shoulder at a house party in Bradford.

"I'm always looking behind me, I'm scared to come outside when it's dark," he shares.

"I need some support to deal with my mental health because it's not so easy to just get stabbed and to go and live a normal life."

Kamil was stabbed in the shoulder with a large kitchen knife in Bradford

Witnessing the aftermath of a stabbing can also take a toll on the doctors and nurses, who may be faced with knife injuries every week.

"When I get home, I find it difficult sometimes," says staff nurse India Tomlinson.

"I live on my own so I don't really have anyone to talk to so I just end up processing it a lot in my brain and just overthinking."

Staff nurse India Tomlinson says she sometimes struggles to process the level of violence

Knife crime has been falling, according to the Office for National Statistics, with 51,091 reported knife-related offences recorded in England and Wales in 2022/23, compared to 55,193 in 2019/20.

But despite some progress nationally, the impact can still be felt by the medical teams at the Leeds major trauma centre on a regular basis.

"I just think, is this really how kids are nowadays?" Ms Tomlinson asks.

"I feel like a lot of people don't want to use their fists any more in terms of having a fight, punching - they'd rather get a weapon and use a weapon."

• If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story you can visit BBC Action Line.