Latest news with #Pooja Kanda
Sky News
01-08-2025
- Sky News
Mum whose teenage son was murdered with ninja sword hails new law named after him
A ban on ninja swords introduced as part of legislation named after a 16-year-old boy who was stabbed to death with the weapon has come into effect. The ban in England and Wales makes it illegal to possess, make, import or sell ninja swords and it comes as part of Ronan's law, named after Ronan Kanda, who was stabbed to death close to his family home in Wolverhampton in 2022 in a case of mistaken identity. Ronan was murdered with a ninja sword bought online. His mother, Pooja Kanda, who has been campaigning for the law to take effect, told Sky News it is "one very, very big change we needed". She said: "I firmly believe if it was in place years ago, my son would've been here today". Overall, knife crime in England and Wales has risen 87% in the past decade, with 54,587 offences recorded last year alone, a 2% rise from 2023 and among the highest rates in Europe. The ban on ninja swords comes into force as part of the government's commitment to halve knife crime in the next decade. At least 1,000 of the weapons have been handed in as part of a surrender scheme. The government has also pledged to tackle the sale of weapons online as part of Ronan's Law. This would require retailers to report bulk or suspicious knife orders to the police, put in place more stringent age-verification checks and impose significant fines on tech executives whose platforms fail to prevent illegal sales. Ms Kanda said about her son: "He is larger than life... he is everything a mother would want, a mother's dream son who never shied away from helping his mother, caring for his mum, loving his sister and loving everyone around him. "He did not shy away from helping people, he deserved life, he truly deserved life and he would've become something big. He is big today but honestly we need more children like Ronan."
The Independent
01-08-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Yvette Cooper honours ninja sword victim as law in his name takes effect
Yvette Cooper shed tears as she became emotional discussing the victim of a ninja sword stabbing in Wolverhampton. As a ban on the weapons came into effect, the home secretary described the mother of Ronan Kanda, 16, showing her the last moment she shared with her son before he was murdered. 'His mother, Pooja, showed me the CCTV from outside her house. [It was] the last time she saw her son. It was the honour of her showing me their affectionate goodbye … then he goes off and she doesn't see him again,' Ms Cooper told The Times as she wiped away tears. Ronan was stabbed through the heart with a ninja sword in a case of mistaken identity in Wolverhampton in 2022. CCTV of the attack showed Ronan smiling at his phone with his headphones in when he was attacked with the weapon that two 16-year-olds had bought online. Pooja went on to launch a campaign urging ministers to ban ninja swords and knives with blades longer than 14 inches, with a single, straight cutting edge and a tanto-style point. She was awarded an OBE in the King's birthday honours for services to knife crime prevention. Ms Cooper unveiled the ban shortly after Labour came into power last July under a package titled Ronan's Law. Speaking as it came into effect, she said: 'I can talk you through all the targeted policing we're doing but in the end it is about what [victims'] families are experiencing and the change they want to see.' Those caught with ninja swords now face up to six months in prison, a sentence which will rise to two years under Labour's Crime and Policing Bill. 'Since day one, we have acted with urgency to turn the tide on knife crime, which destroys lives and devastates communities,' Ms Cooper told The Times. Reacting to the ban when it was tabled in parliament, Ms Kanda said: 'Since losing our beautiful boy Ronan, we have relentlessly campaigned for a ban on ninja swords – the lethal weapon which took his life. 'We believe ninja swords have no place in our society other than to seriously harm and kill. Each step towards tackling knife crime is a step towards getting justice for our boy Ronan.' Ninja swords can be handed over in knife-surrender bins or local police stations under a surrender scheme running in July. Under Ronan's Law, the Home Office has also announced a raft of measures, including making retailers report bulk or suspicious sales to police, and increasing the jail sentence for selling weapons to children, or illegal blades such as zombie knives, to two years.
Yahoo
01-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Cooper wipes away tears over murder victim as ninja sword ban takes effect
Yvette Cooper shed tears as she became emotional discussing the victim of a ninja sword stabbing in Wolverhampton. As a ban on the weapons came into effect, the home secretary described the mother of Ronan Kanda, 16, showing her the last moment she shared with her son before he was murdered. 'His mother, Pooja, showed me the CCTV from outside her house. [It was] the last time she saw her son. It was the honour of her showing me their affectionate goodbye … then he goes off and she doesn't see him again,' Ms Cooper told The Times as she wiped away tears. Ronan was stabbed through the heart with a ninja sword in a case of mistaken identity in Wolverhampton in 2022. CCTV of the attack showed Ronan smiling at his phone with his headphones in when he was attacked with the weapon that two 16-year-olds had bought online. Pooja went on to launch a campaign urging ministers to ban ninja swords and knives with blades longer than 14 inches, with a single, straight cutting edge and a tanto-style point. She was awarded an OBE in the King's birthday honours for services to knife crime prevention. Ms Cooper unveiled the ban shortly after Labour came into power last July under a package titled Ronan's Law. Speaking as it came into effect, she said: 'I can talk you through all the targeted policing we're doing but in the end it is about what [victims'] families are experiencing and the change they want to see.' Those caught with ninja swords now face up to six months in prison, a sentence which will rise to two years under Labour's Crime and Policing Bill. 'Since day one, we have acted with urgency to turn the tide on knife crime, which destroys lives and devastates communities,' Ms Cooper told The Times. Reacting to the ban when it was tabled in parliament, Ms Kanda said: 'Since losing our beautiful boy Ronan, we have relentlessly campaigned for a ban on ninja swords – the lethal weapon which took his life. 'We believe ninja swords have no place in our society other than to seriously harm and kill. Each step towards tackling knife crime is a step towards getting justice for our boy Ronan.' Ninja swords can be handed over in knife-surrender bins or local police stations under a surrender scheme running in July. Under Ronan's Law, the Home Office has also announced a raft of measures, including making retailers report bulk or suspicious sales to police, and increasing the jail sentence for selling weapons to children, or illegal blades such as zombie knives, to two years.
