Northampton stab victim's mum calls for action over knife crime
- Published
Christopher Allbury-Burridge was a caring and helpful person, his mother said
The mother of a man who died from a single stab wound says there are "more things that we need to do to stop our children from needlessly dying".
Four people were last week convicted of killing Christopher Allbury-Burridge, 33, in the Kingsley area of Northampton on 11 December.
They were attempting to steal a small number of cannabis plants Mr Allbury-Burridge was growing.
His mother, Elaine Smith, said: "He was my light and he was my inspiration."
She added: "I appreciate he hasn't been portrayed in the best light due to the fact he was illegally growing cannabis but that doesn't alter the fact he was a kind gentle man.
"He spent most of his working carer trying to help and educate other people."
Elaine Smith said her son Christopher "taught her so much"
Speaking to BBC Radio Northampton, Ms Smith said more needed to be done by "parents and communities" to tackle knife crime.
"What I think is 'why are they carrying knives? Why do they feel so frightened?'
"They say it is for their protection, so we've created a society where our kids don't feel safe and we've got to look at the bigger issues."
Ms Smith added: "We need to pull together as the county, as a nation, to stop our kids murdering each other because if you live by the sword, you die by the sword. People don't seem to understand that.
"There are a lot more things that we need to do to stop our children from needlessly dying literally our streets.
"It's appalling."
Ms Smith said it was not just her family who had been affected by the incident.
"Five lives were ruined that night," she said. "Christopher, our family, but also the families of those guys that did it."
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- Published23 September 2021
