Forged in grief: Knife Angel unveiled as families demand justice for lost loved ones
As the Knife Angel was unveiled in Newton Aycliffe on Saturday, hundreds gathered at Beveridge Way to welcome a poignant and powerful reminder of the scourge of knife crime in the region and wider UK.
Silence fell over the crowd as the Knife Angel, a towering 27-foot sculpture forged from 100,000 surrendered blades from knife amnesties, was unveiled
This was no ordinary art installation.
For the families in attendance, many of them still raw from personal tragedies, it was a monument of mourning, a symbol of hope, and a call for justice from the legal system, politicians, and society.
The Knife Angel goes on display in Newton Aycliffe (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT) For Zoey McGill, the Knife Angel's presence in County Durham is deeply personal.
Her teenage son, Jack Woodley, was just 18 when he was stabbed to death in a brutal gang attack in 2021.
The knife that killed him was a Rambo-style weapon, wielded by a 15-year-old.
Ten teenagers, aged just 14 to 17, were convicted under the controversial joint enterprise law.
Zoey, who attended Saturday's unveiling, called for action to prevent more fatalities.
A speech, read out for her on the day, said: "I want to talk about something that's tearing our community apart: knife crime. It's not just a statistic or a headline. It's about real people, real lives shattered.
Zoe McGill and her family, Husband Chris, sons Ralph, 10 months, Jenson, 9, and Jayden, 17 (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT) "Consider my Jack, who never made it to his 19th birthday because of a senseless act of violence; he simply went to a fun fair with his girlfriend and never came home.
"Knife crime doesn't just claim lives. It leaves lasting scars on families and friends. It creates a ripple effect of fear and mistrust in our neighbourhoods. Parents worry every time their child steps out the door. Kids feel they need to carry a weapon just to feel safe.
"But here's the thing: carrying a knife doesn't make you safer. It puts you at risk. It turns a heated moment into a life-altering tragedy.
"We can create a community where kids feel valued, heard, and protected without resorting to violence. The cost of knife crime is too high. It's time we all stand up and say: enough is enough.
"Our community deserves better.
Durham Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen delivers a powerful message about knife crime at today's Knife Angel unveiling in Newton Aycliffe pic.twitter.com/rZjYZ3Sl8M
— The Northern Echo (@TheNorthernEcho) May 31, 2025
"Our children deserve better."
There was no anger in her voice — just the exhausted determination of a mother who wakes up every day to the ache of absence.
PC Andy Boyd, Dionne Barrett mum of Gordon Gault, Zoe McGill mum of Jack Woodley, Amy Robinson partner of Rory Boyce, Louise Hutchinson mum of Craig Yorke and Joy Allen PCC (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT) 'Losing Jack will never get easier,' she added.
'It destroys you day after day."
The Knife Angel's arrival in Newton Aycliffe marks its first appearance in County Durham and follows years of relentless campaigning by Zoey, local police sergeant Andy Boyd, and The Northern Echo's Knife Crime Task Force, which has been working to stem the tide of youth violence in the North East.
The sculpture — its metal feathers formed from blades once destined to harm — will remain in the town centre for June.
Some of the 100,000 blades that make up the Knife Angel (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT) Its haunting presence aims to educate, provoke reflection, and inspire change.
Surrounding the statue were people clutching framed photographs, T-shirts bearing the faces of lost loved ones.
Some were in tears, others just stood, silent in remembrance.
The photos of some of those killed by knife crime in County Durham and the North East (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT) Alongside Zoey McGill, the names of those other tragedies were on display too.
Dionne Barrett, mum of Gordon Gault, Amy Robinson, partner of Rory Boyce, and Louise Hutchinson, mum of Craig Yorke, were all there to share their own stories.
While tragedy, loss and the poignant Knife Angel were central parts of Saturday, song and dance performances from local Newton Aycliffe children provided a brief interlude of the harrowing reality of knife crime.
The back of the Knife Angel sculpture (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT) Amid the hundreds there, Durham's Police and Crime Commissioner, Joy Allen, acknowledged that while the region's knife crime rates aren't as high as in other parts of the UK, 'even one life lost is one too many.'
Her message to young people was stark: 'If you carry a knife, you run the risk of killing someone, or being killed yourself. Or ending up in prison for a long, long time.'
A knife crime t-shirt designed for the unveiling on Saturday (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT) As the ceremony continued, local police announced the launch of a new campaign, Pointless, aimed at tackling knife crime through a month-long amnesty and grassroots education. Surrendered weapons will be donated to the Knife Angel's creators, the British Ironworks Centre, continuing the cycle of transformation from violence to awareness.
Sergeant Andy Boyd, who has patrolled Newton Aycliffe for over three decades, said the most vital tool in combating knife crime isn't harsher laws — it's courage and conscience.
Read more:
Mum of murdered Jack Woodley 'attacked' at Aycliffe graveside
Zoey McGill launches appeal to bring Knife Angel to Newton Aycliffe
Crime minister 'keen' to speak to Tanya Brown and Zoe McGill
Recalling Jack Woodley's case, Boyd shared a painful what-if: 'There was one teenager who walked away when a knife was pulled. But what he didn't do was report it. Jack might still be alive if he had. That's what we're up against — silence. Fear. Loyalty in the wrong places.'
In the coming weeks, schoolchildren will visit the statue, talks will be held, and police will do the rounds in visiting schools.
And perhaps, amid the sorrow, lives will be changed, and education will begin at home.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Reform U.K.'s Chairman Quits Amid New Infighting
One of the most senior figures in Reform U.K., Britain's anti-immigration political party, unexpectedly resigned on Thursday after fresh infighting broke out within the insurgent political force led by Nigel Farage. The sudden departure of Zia Yusuf, Reform's chairman, is a blow to the party, because he was responsible for the crucial task of helping the relatively new party build its structure. His resignation comes after Mr. Yusuf, a millionaire businessman who has described himself as 'a British Muslim patriot,' criticized Reform's newest member of Parliament, Sarah Pochin, who on Wednesday called on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to ban the burqa. Mr. Yusuf, 38, characterized her comments as 'dumb' because they did not align with the party's official policy outlined at the last general election. Not all senior figures in the party agreed with him, however. Reform's chief whip, Lee Anderson, wrote on social media: 'Ban the burqa? Yes we should.' He added, 'No one should be allowed to hide their identity in public.' In a statement posted on social media, Mr. Yusuf did not give a reason for his decision, saying only that 'I no longer believe working to get a Reform government elected is a good use of my time, and hereby resign the office.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
High court blocks Hamas victims' try to reopen case against Lebanese bank
WASHINGTON, June 5 (UPI) -- The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled unanimously that it would not allow relatives of victims and survivors of Hamas attacks from 2001 to 2003 to reopen a case in which they accused a Lebanese bank of providing financial services to Hamas-affiliated clients. The court ruled in BLOM Bank SAL vs. Michal Honickman, in an opinion delivered by Justice Clarence Thomas, that the plaintiffs did not meet the requirements of extraordinary circumstances for reopening the case. When the case was originally tried in 2019, the relatives and victims lost because they failed to prove the bank knowingly took on clients affiliated with Hamas. The victims and relatives then wanted to offer evidence to which they claimed they had access later. They cited as precedent Rule 60(b), which outlines the reasons why a case could be reopened after a judgement has been issued, such as a mistake in the judgement or evidence unavailable to the plaintiffs during their original case. "It is Rule 60(b)'s standard -- and only Rule 60(b0's standard -- that applies when a party seeks relief from final judgement. A party seeking Rule 60(b) relief must always demonstrate 'extraordinary circumstances' justifying relief," the court wrote. Justice Kentanji Brown Jackson delivered a concurring opinion in which she parted from her colleagues, warning that courts should not deny requests to reopen cases simply because the requesting party was given a chance to amend a case while it was ongoing. "In particular, I think the district court was wrong to fault plaintiffs for making a 'deliberate choice' to appeal the dismissal of their complaint in lieu of accepting various pre-dismissal opportunities to cure purported pleading deficiencies." Brown wrote. The victims and families accused the Lebanese bank of aiding and abetting attacks from 2001 to 2003 by providing financial services to Hamas-affiliated clients. In 2019, the families attempted to sue the bank, but the judge dismissed the suit for not providing evidence that the bank knowingly provided financial services to Hamas-affiliated clients. The court even asked the survivors and families' lawyer if they wanted to amend the case, but they declined. They later found evidence they said proves that the bank knowingly engaged with Hamas affiliates, so they went back to court to reopen their case. Their lawyer, Michael Radine, criticized the Supreme Court's decision. Radine said in a statement to UPI that the district court would not allow his clients to retry the case unless they could meet "the erroneous and essentially unmeetable pleading standards raised by the defendant and adopted by the district court." He added that the district court required evidence such as acts or statements from bank employees proving affiliations with Hamas before discovery. "Few plaintiffs will have access to a defendant's internal communications before discovery, which is why the [2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals] tossed that pleading standard as 'too exacting,'" Radine said in the statement. During the original case, the families appealed to the 2nd Circuit and were turned down again, so they returned to the lower courts and asked to retry the case and submit evidence proving that the bank knowingly provided financial services to Hamas-affiliated individuals. They were told their case did not meet the requirement to be reopened, so the plaintiffs appealed that decision to the 2nd Circuit again. "Indeed, today's decision could empower district courts to prevent plaintiffs from amending their complaints whenever the state of the applicable law is unclear," Radine said. BLOM Bank SAL's lawyer Michael Hugh McGinley didn't respond to a request for comment.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Supreme Court sides with Smith & Wesson, blocks Mexico's $10B suit against gunmakers over cartel violence
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday blocked a $10 billion lawsuit Mexico filed against top firearm manufacturers in the U.S. alleging the companies' business practices have fueled tremendous cartel violence and bloodshed. The unanimous ruling tossed out the case under U.S. laws that largely shield gunmakers from liability when their firearms are used in crime. Big-name manufacturers like Smith & Wesson — which still produces guns in Springfield, Massachusetts — had appealed to the justices after a lower court let the suit go forward under an exception for situations in which the companies themselves are accused of violating the law. But the justices found that Mexico hadn't made a plausible argument that the companies had knowingly allowed guns to be trafficked into the country. 'It does not pinpoint, as most aiding-and-abetting claims do, any specific criminal transactions that the defendants (allegedly) assisted,' Justice Elena Kagan wrote in the court's opinion. Mexico had asked the justices to let the case play out, saying it was still in its early stages. Asked about the case during her daily news briefing, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum pointed to another suit the country filed in 2022 against five gun shops and distributors in Arizona. 'There are two trials,' she said. 'We're going to see what the result is, and we'll let you know.' The case the Supreme Court tossed Thursday began in 2021, when the Mexican government filed a blockbuster suit against some of the biggest gun companies, including Smith & Wesson, Beretta, Colt and Glock. Smith & Wesson moved its headquarters and much of its operations from Springfield to Tennessee, but the company retains about 1,000 employees at its plant in Western Massachusetts. Operations that remain in Springfield include its forge, metal working, machining, finishing the assembly of Colt 1911-style handguns and revolver assembly. On Thursday, Mark Smith, Smith & Wesson president and CEO, said in a statement that the court's unanimous decision 'shutting down this ridiculous lawsuit' represented 'a big win for Smith & Wesson, but our industry, American sovereignty and, most importantly, every American who wishes to exercise his or her Second Amendment rights.' 'This suit, brought by Mexico in collaboration with U.S.-based anti-Second Amendment activist groups, was an affront to our nation's sovereignty and a direct attack on the constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans,' Smith said in the statement. He called it the latest attack on the firearms industry 'in a blatant abuse of our legal system to advance their anti-constitutional agenda. 'To all American patriots — you can rest assured that Smith & Wesson will always stand and fight for your constitutional rights at every turn,' Smith said. Mexico has strict gun laws and has just one store where people can legally buy firearms. But thousands of guns are smuggled in by the country's powerful drug cartels every year. The Mexican government says at least 70% of those weapons come from the United States. The lawsuit claims that companies knew weapons were being sold to traffickers who smuggled them into Mexico and decided to cash in on that market. The companies reject Mexico's allegations, arguing the country's lawsuit comes nowhere close to showing they're responsible for a relatively few people using their products to commit violence. The trade group National Shooting Sports Foundation applauded the ruling, adding that gunmakers work with U.S. authorities to prevent gun trafficking. 'This is a tremendous victory for the firearm industry and the rule of law,' said Lawrence Keane, senior vice president and general counsel. A federal judge tossed out the lawsuit under a 2005 law that protects gun companies from most civil lawsuits, but an appeals court revived it. The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston found it fell under an exception to the shield law for situations in which firearm companies are accused of knowingly breaking laws in their business practices. That exception has come up in other cases, including in lawsuits stemming from mass shootings. Families of victims of the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, for example, argued it applied to their lawsuit because the gunmaker had violated state law in the marketing of the AR-15 rifle used in the shooting, in which 20 first graders and six educators were killed. The families eventually secured a landmark $73 million settlement with Remington, the maker of the rifle. The Supreme Court's ruling doesn't appear to affect similar cases, said David Pucino, legal director at the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. 'All survivors, in the United States, in Mexico, and anywhere else, deserve their day in court, and we will continue to support them in their fight for justice,' he said. Read the original article on MassLive.
