Southport survivor Leanne Lucas launches 'Let's be Blunt' campaign for ban on pointed knives
Leanne Lucas is calling for a ban on pointed knives and says 'we must continue to talk about knife crime'
A yoga teacher who survived the Southport attack says "evil will not win", as she launches her campaign for safer knives.
Leanne Lucas managed to get several children to safety in the attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in July 2024, despite being stabbed several times.
Leanne has partnered with the Ben Kinsella Trust for the 'Let's be Blunt' campaign, calling for people to swap to blunted knives, instead of ones with pointed tips.
The teacher is heading to Westminster to call on MPs to endorse the campaign, saying the damage and "misery she saw caused by knives must never be repeated".
Speaking on ITV's Good Morning Britain, Leanne said she the horrific events in Southport "changed her life forever".
Leanne was critically injured in the attack on 29 July 2024, and three children - Alice da Silva Aguiar, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Bebe King - were killed.
She said she hasn't been able to use a kitchen knife since the attack.
Leanne said: "I think being introduced to the blunt tip knives has been a step forward for me in my journey, as well as being able to speak about it publicly to help everybody else.
"There has to be something that comes out of this, there has to be change."
Patrick Green, from the Ben Kinsella Trust, said: "With blunted knives we're removing the opportunity, the impulsivity.
"Blunted knives would make things safer for everyone, and it's something the public can adopt right now.
"We don't need to wait for legislation, I expect a lot of people don't know that you can actually buy these knives now."
The 'Let's be Blunt' campaign is being unveiled at a Knife Crime Awareness Week parliamentary reception on Wednesday, 21 May, where Leanne will speak alongside the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson.
Knife Crime Awareness Week, which runs from 19–25 May, is organised by the Ben Kinsella Trust, a knife crime prevention charity.
Leanne told Good Morning Britain: "We can't change what happened.
"But if we can do anything, so people don't feel the way I feel, the way the families feel, then we will continue to talk about this.
"We need to talk about knife crime and how we can keep people safe.
"If everyone plays a tiny part in tackling this, we can make a massive change."
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Daily Mail
11 hours ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE The man who ordered the kidnap and murder of his niece in Britain's most notorious honour killing now claims HE is the victim. Here, her family have their say
The harrowing kidnap, rape and murder of Banaz Mahmod made for one of Britain's most infamous so-called 'honour killings'. And loved ones grieving her loss are now suffering fresh trauma after an uncle who was among those plotting her death launched a sick new court battle. Family members and campaigners honouring tragic Banaz have hit back at the convict's latest claims, describing the case as 'appalling' - while also calling for changes to sentencing on 'honour killings'. Banaz, 20, was killed on the orders of her father Mahmod Mahmod and her uncle Ari Mahmod after she left an abusive arranged marriage and fell in love with another man. Other family members and friends were recruited to carry out the murder and she was raped by three of her cousins before being strangled. Now her uncle Ali Mahmod, 69, is suing ITV in London 's High Court over a 2020 drama called Honour, starring Keeley Hawes, and a 2012 documentary on the killing. Representing himself in court, Mahmod insisted that in his Iraqi Muslim culture such supposed 'honour' murders were acceptable - and he complained it was the accusation of rape that would damage his reputation. Ali Mahmod, speaking via videolink from HMP Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire, told the High Court he had been attacked in prison and his family were victims of reprisals. While representing himself in the court hearing last month, Ali Mahmod told judges he been attacked in jail and that his family were victims of reprisals. Speaking through an interpreter, he said: 'In my country murder is normal - after served time you have a new opportunity. 'In my culture the main things they react against me was the rape allegation.' Talking about himself in the third person, he added: 'Almost all statements left no doubts the allegation of rape was with Ari's blessing. In the Islamic community rape is taboo - it is the highest level of crime.' But now campaigners who have been backing Banaz's surviving family members and other victims of violence and abuse have condemned his latest pleas. A family member, who did not want to be identified, told MailOnline: 'The fact he's bringing this case is quite unbelievable. 'We knew but didn't realise it was actually happening. It's appalling, the whole thing.' Dr Hannana Siddiqui, head of policy for campaign group Southall Black Sisters, told MailOnline of disbelief at the tragedy being brought back to court by Ali Mahmod. She said: 'I find it strange. Rape is used as a tool of abuse of women. I don't understand his logic. 'Whoever gives permission for murder must understand all the implications. 'We know he was justifying the killing – it was justified in his community and he therefore he didn't see it as wrong. 'Now he's trying to retain his honour by saying he's being accused of rape – why he'd have a problem with that, with what he's done, I don't know. 'Generally, the community feel rape is acceptable with someone who's exiled from the community and family. 'Maybe he's trying to get money. I find it baffling that there wasn't a prosecution for rape as well as the murder – that may be why he claims it's libel. 'But he ordered the killing – and all the implications of the rape could be involved. I don't think his case is very strong.' The organisation is calling for what they suggest be named 'Banaz's Law', which would recognised 'honour'-based abuse as a statutory aggravating factor in sentencing. The campaign has previously been backed by one of Banaz's sisters, Bektal Mahmod, who has been living in hiding under witness protection after giving evidence during the 2007 criminal trial. Dr Siddiqui, who co-authored Bekhal's 2022 book No Safe Place: Murdered By Our Father, added: 'Honour killings are using as a triggering factor but instead the issue should be treated as an aggravating factor in sentencing guidelines.' Banaz had fled an abusive arranged marriage that began when was 17 after being continuously raped and beaten by her husband, who was ten years older. She returned to live in the family home in south London and then fell in love with a Kurdish man, Rahmat Suleimani, who later took his own life in 2016. In the months leading up to her disappearance, Banaz reported to police five times that her family wanted her dead, but no action was taken. She was deemed to have brought 'shame' on the family with her father and uncle hatching a plan to have her killed in the most savage way possible to restore their 'honour' and 'reputation' within the community. Banaz suffered horrific sexual violence prior to being strangled to death at the family home in January 2006. Her body was then stuffed into a suitcase and taken to Birmingham, where it was buried in the garden of an abandoned home. Following the discovery of her body, Banaz's father, uncle and other relatives and family associates were charged with her murder or for conspiring in it. In 2007, following a three-month trial at the Old Bailey, her father Mahmod Mahmod was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life with a minimum of 20 years in prison. Her uncle Ari Mahmod was also found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in jail with at least 23 years behind bars. Her cousin Mohamad Hama also admitted murder and was ordered to serve at least 17 years in prison. Three years later, Banaz's cousins Omar Hussain and Mohamad Saleh Ali, who were the ones carrying out the killing, were extradited from Iraq and handed life sentences of 22 years and 21 years respectively after being found guilty of murder. The acclaimed ITV docudrama Honour tells the story of lead investigator DCI Caroline Goode's efforts to bring Banaz's killers to justice, after the victim was reported missing from her home by Mr Suleimani. Award-winning actress Hawes portrayed DCI Goode, who worked for 33 years in the Metropolitan Police and wrote a book published in 2020 called Honour: Achieving Justice for Banaz Mahmod. Speaking to MailOnline last August, DCI Goode recalled: 'This was the most complex and difficult investigation I have ever been involved in. 'From the outset we were met by a conspiracy of silence from the Iraqi-Kurdish community in the UK and had very little evidence to go on. 'The case was unusual because normally when you investigate a murder you are trying to get justice for the family. 'But in this instance, the family weren't interested in getting justice as they were the ones who ordered her killing.' It remains unclear why Ari Mahmod has been allowed to sue ITV as convicted murderers usually have no reputation to defend. Representing ITV, barrister Ben Gallop told the High Court last month: 'The claimant is a convicted murderer. 'This is rare for a claim of libel as the possibility of any damage to his reputation is limited due to his pre-existing bad reputation.' A judgment in the case is expected later in June. Banaz, an Iraqi Kurd living in Mitcham, south London, was murdered in January 2006 after she fell in love with a man of whom some of her family disapproved. She was raped, tortured and strangled to death with the bootlace after she walked out of a marriage she had been forced to enter just three years earlier at 17. Between December 2005 and January 2006, Banaz had told police four times that relatives wanted her dead and described the litany of sexual violence she had been forced to endure at the hands of her abusive husband. In a recorded interview with police prior to her death, she told of being followed by members of the Iraqi-Kurdish community. Banaz said: 'People following me - still now they follow me. 'That's the main reason that I came to the police station. In the future at any time if anything happens to me, it's them.' The terrified young woman left her husband after two and a half years, a decision that angered her family who had arrived in the UK when Banaz was 12. After returning to her family home, she met and fell in love with Rahmat Sulemani, a family friend. He would later give evidence at the trial, revealing that he and Banaz had been threatened with death if they carried on seeing each other. While the lovers continued to meet in secret they were spotted together outside Morden tube station in south London in December 2005. Banaz's father was informed and arranged the horrific killing of his own daughter. During an Old Bailey trial it later emerged that on New Year's Eve 2005 a bleeding and terrified Banaz had told PC Angela Cornes that her father had just tried to kill her. The police officer dismissed her as 'dramatic and calculating' and instead considered charging her with criminal damage for breaking a window during her escape. Banaz was murdered three weeks later. Sentencing her father and uncle to life in prison at the Old Bailey in 2007, Judge Brian Barker said: 'This offence was designed to carry a wider message to the community to discourage legal behaviour of girls and women in this country. 'Having endured a short and unhappy marriage, she made the mistake of falling in love with a Kurdish man that you and your community thought was unsuitable. 'So, to restore your so-called family honour you decided she should die and her memory be erased. This was a barbaric and a callous crime.' The ITV docudrama about the case, Honour, was first broadcast in 2020 before winning a new audience when put on Netflix last year - reducing viewers to tears. Banaz's boyfriend Rahmet, who gave evidence at the trial of her father and uncle, went into witness protection before taking his own life in 2016. One of her sisters, Bekhal, also gave evidence and is currently in witness protection and has little contact with anyone that could potentially put her at risk of reprisals. In an extract from her book about Banaz, published in the Mail On Sunday in 2022, Bekhal recalled how they referred to their abusive father as 'the Evil Punisher'. She wrote: 'Before I testified against the Evil Punisher and Ari, in a private witness room at the Old Bailey, I worked myself up into a panic.' She told of 'pacing nervous circles as I said to myself, "Oh my God, they're going to kill me, they're going to kill me, they're going to kill me…" Bekhal added: 'Giving evidence for the prosecution would mean testifying against my family - and, by extension, the entire Kurdish community. 'My head was a tumble dryer. What if Dad and Ari get off? What if one of them leaps from the dock while I'm giving my evidence? 'What if there's a Kurdish man in the public gallery, armed with a knife, ready to storm the witness stand and slit my throat? Will the jury believe me? 'The risks involved were insurmountable. By now, I had a baby daughter and the police had moved us to a secret location amid death threats. 'The thought of facing Dad and Ari in court terrified me to the core. But securing justice for Banaz outweighed all the risks.' She gave evidence at the Old Bailey trial behind a screen, and remembered: 'There was no way I could let Dad or Ari see my face, so I decided to wear a hijab, niqab and abaya. 'A hijab is a head covering, a niqab is the traditional Muslim face veil, while the abaya is a square of fabric that drapes from your shoulders to your feet. As I advanced with two security guards into the courtroom, the first people I noticed were the defendants, both in grey suits and, as always, watching my every step. 'Ari gave me one of his smug smiles. I'll never forget that look. 'It said: "I'm going to win this case – then kill you." Dad crossed his brows, his hatred for me palpable in his menacing stare. 'I quickly averted my gaze to the blue screen around the witness stand ahead, aware that every pair of eyes in that packed courtroom was on me. 'I wanted to do this for Banaz. I swallowed hard, looked at the jury, and said: "I promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.' She also told how Banaz was given the fond nickname of Nazca, meaning 'beautiful' and 'delicate' in Kurdish. And she shared the message: 'Oh, Nazca, if you were here, the whole world would be orange and yellow. I love you, my darling sister. Sleep tight, my angel.'
Daily Mail
15 hours ago
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STEPHEN DAISLEY: A grown up debate graces Holyrood... for all of eight minutes
Organised crime and its policing were the talking points at First Minister's Questions. With everything else in disarray, it's reassuring to hear that Scotland's criminals remain well-organised. During his years in journalism, Russell Findlay made a name for himself as a crusading crime reporter, throwing sunlight on the shady activities of the underworld. He was eventually subjected to a doorstep acid attack for his trouble. As Tory leader, he's cranked up the pressure, and did so again yesterday in a masterclass in parliamentary interrogation. Findlay referred to the fatal shootings of two Scots in Spain and what he called 'a turf war on Scotland's streets' that had been raging for a quarter century. Drug gangs were 'parasites', 'cowards', and 'thugs'. They 'grow rich by preying on society's most vulnerable' and spread 'terror and death with guns, knives and firebombs'. He invited John Swinney to echo his view that Holyrood had not done enough to suppress this societal blight. The First Minister admitted there was 'an awful lot in what Mr Findlay said with which I agree', but he ultimately rejected his conclusion because Police Scotland were 'relentlessly' pursuing the kingpins. Not actively enough for Findlay. He complained that organised crime 'has rarely been on the agenda' and wasn't even mentioned in the government's five-year justice strategy. He reiterated his reason for entering politics: 'I could not understand why politicians do not talk about the malevolent reach and devastating harm of organised crime.' (There's a very good reason for that: they have an aversion to waking up at 3am to find the family home on fire.) Swinney rounded on the 'flaws' in Findlay's question. He said a 'very high number' of underworld baddies were 'currently incarcerated for a very long time'. As for inaction, the SNP set up the Scottish Crime Campus, an internationally respected crime-fighting centre, and brought forward the 2022 Serious Organised Crime Strategy. This was far from the liveliest exchanges seen in the parliament. Few if any viral clips will come out of it. But it was two men who usually talk past each other to their core voters choosing instead to have a solemn, grown-up conversation about a grave matter. They see matters very differently, but they share a goal of loosening organised crime's grip. Shared goals are becoming a rarity at Holyrood and they made for a serious, substantive conversation. A conversation that lasted all of eight minutes. Things came undone when Findlay said crime gangs were recruiting under 25s because they faced a reduced risk of doing prison time. Swinney harrumphed that it was 'misleading' to say there were 'no consequences' for youngsters who commit crime. A mildly baffled Findlay replied: 'John Swinney appears to be hearing things. I said no such thing.' The Tory leader wants to make it easier for the authorities to go after the proceeds of crime. Successive governments talked this up but underworld bosses had learned how to hide their ill-gotten gains. Elsewhere, Alex Cole-Hamilton reproached the SNP government for the state of Scotland's rivers and waterways, which he branded 'absolutely honking'. Fans of parliamentary linguistics will be interested to know that this was only the second time the phrase has been uttered at Holyrood to mean extremely malodorous. The late John Swinburne, of the (also late) Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party, introduced the term in a chamber debate on smoking in 2004. He recounted his experience of a visit to the Holyrood smoking room, describing it as 'absolutely honking', which he defined to mean 'very unpleasant and smelly'. He contrasted this with the better-ventilated smoking room at the BBC in Glasgow, which he considered to be 'less polluted than the air in Sauchiehall Street'. For younger readers struggling to fathom the concept of a smoking room in the Scottish Parliament, or the BBC, or indeed the 21st century, I assure you that it's all true. The past is a foreign, and much smellier, country.
Metro
a day ago
- Metro
Missing British man found dead at the bottom of a lift shaft in Malaysia
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