Latest news with #ViolenceReductionPartnership
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Yahoo
'My shot daughter's friends wouldn't help police'
The mother of a woman who was murdered in her own home has told how her daughter's friends refused to help detectives after her death as she urged other people to give police information or "it's never going to change". Ashley Dale, 28, was killed by men who were involved in a drug feud with her boyfriend Lee Harrison in her Liverpool home in the early hours of 21 August 2022. Her mum Julie said after "some soul-searching" she had "put herself in those girls shoes" and realised they were scared to speak up. But she said there were "ways to give information" and urged others to co-operate with police . Four men were jailed for life for Ms Dale's murder. James Witham, 41,who fired the Skorpion sub-machine gun, Joseph Peers, 29, Niall Barry, 26, and Sean Zeisz, 28, were convicted at Liverpool Crown Court. Harrison, now 27, who was jailed in February for drugs trafficking, had also been "totally uncooperative" with the murder inquiry, the trial heard. The jury heard Ms Dale's own voice describing the falling out between her partner and Barry, as voice notes which she recorded and sent to friends in the two months before her murder. The WhatsApp voice notes that helped solve a murder But Julie Dale said the same close friends had not been willing to go to court. "People held back on stuff and it's difficult because I've had to - again after soul-searching – try and put myself in those girls' shoes and I know people are scared," she said. "But there are ways that you can give information because if we don't do that, it's never going to change." Ms Dale has been working with Knowsley Council – where her daughter worked as an environmental health officer - to launch the Be the Change scheme to help steer girls and women away from those involved in serious crime. It involves sessions, funded by the Violence Reduction Partnership, which aim to empower women to reclaim their communities. Francine McKeown, crime and communities manager at the authority, said: "In and around violence and organised crime, there's always a mum, a daughter, a sister, a girlfriend. "And actually most people want to live peaceful, happy lives – free from violence." Some of the women who attended sessions were asked by BBC Breakfast about speaking up. "It feels safer almost to hide away and not speak out and just keep yourself to yourself, " one woman said. Another added: "I think it's just because you feel like you protect your family by not speaking out." Fitness instructor Lauren Ruane said: "You look around the community, there's 100% more good people than bad, but it's when the bad dominates through fear and we're trying to break that cycle. "When you bring women and mums together, I genuinely do believe that magic happens - a real ripple effect goes back out into the community." Ms Dale has been sharing her daughter's experiences with young women and girls to deter them from making poor relationship choices, saying: "I can't let her death be in vain." "Ashley was just a totally normal woman – she had never been involved with the police, had a job, had been to university, got a degree, had just been promoted. "Yet she wasn't immune to this." Councillor Shelley Powell said: "We've all got to be the change - steer people in a different direction to give people the confidence to not tolerate the bad things going on." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230. 'My girl chose a boy involved in serious crime' How boyfriend drug feud led to Ashley Dale's death Murder victim's mum calls killers 'monsters' Four guilty of murder after row at Glastonbury How WhatsApp voice notes helped solve a murder
BBC News
10-04-2025
- BBC News
Ashley Dale: 'My murdered daughter's friends wouldn't help police'
The mother of a woman who was murdered in her own home has told how her daughter's friends refused to help detectives after her death as she urged other people to give police information or "it's never going to change".Ashley Dale, 28, was killed by men who were involved in a drug feud with her boyfriend Lee Harrison in her Liverpool home in the early hours of 21 August 2022. Her mum Julie said after "some soul-searching" she had "put herself in those girls shoes" and realised they were scared to speak up. But she said there were "ways to give information" and urged others to co-operate with police . Four men were jailed for life for Ms Dale's murder. James Witham, 41,who fired the Skorpion sub-machine gun, Joseph Peers, 29, Niall Barry, 26, and Sean Zeisz, 28, were convicted at Liverpool Crown now 27, who was jailed in February for drugs trafficking, had also been "totally uncooperative" with the murder inquiry, the trial jury heard Ms Dale's own voice describing the falling out between her partner and Barry, as voice notes which she recorded and sent to friends in the two months before her WhatsApp voice notes that helped solve a murderBut Julie Dale said the same close friends had not been willing to go to court. "People held back on stuff and it's difficult because I've had to - again after soul-searching – try and put myself in those girls' shoes and I know people are scared," she said."But there are ways that you can give information because if we don't do that, it's never going to change." Ms Dale has been working with Knowsley Council – where her daughter worked as an environmental health officer - to launch the Be the Change scheme to help steer girls and women away from those involved in serious involves sessions, funded by the Violence Reduction Partnership, which aim to empower women to reclaim their communities. Francine McKeown, crime and communities manager at the authority, said: "In and around violence and organised crime, there's always a mum, a daughter, a sister, a girlfriend. "And actually most people want to live peaceful, happy lives – free from violence." Some of the women who attended sessions were asked by BBC Breakfast about speaking up. "It feels safer almost to hide away and not speak out and just keep yourself to yourself, " one woman said. Another added: "I think it's just because you feel like you protect your family by not speaking out."Fitness instructor Lauren Ruane said: "You look around the community, there's 100% more good people than bad, but it's when the bad dominates through fear and we're trying to break that cycle."When you bring women and mums together, I genuinely do believe that magic happens - a real ripple effect goes back out into the community." Confidence boost Ms Dale has been sharing her daughter's experiences with young women and girls to deter them from making poor relationship choices, saying: "I can't let her death be in vain.""Ashley was just a totally normal woman – she had never been involved with the police, had a job, had been to university, got a degree, had just been promoted. "Yet she wasn't immune to this."Councillor Shelley Powell said: "We've all got to be the change - steer people in a different direction to give people the confidence to not tolerate the bad things going on." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Yahoo
Hundreds of children hear knife crime message
Hundreds of children from Wolverhampton have been hearing the stories of people who have been involved in gangs and knife crime. The 10 to 16-year-olds also heard from Nikita Kanda, the sister of Ronana Kanda, a 16-year-old murdered in 2022 in a case of mistaken identity. She said: "I really hope that kids can take away the fact that if this can happen to Ronan it can happen to anyone, so we need to work together to combat it." The day was organised by the City of Wolverhampton Council, as part of the youth-led My Tomorrow campaign. The project has brought together dozens of organisations, including the Inpower Academy CIC, a martial arts group in Wolverhampton that campaigns to stop knife crime. Its founder, Daryl Chambers, said it had carried out a survey and most of the young people it spoke to "know someone within their friendship circle carrying a knife". Kairo Williams, another of the speakers, was 14 when he became involved in gang violence. He is 18 now and said: "You don't realise until you branch out how really bad it is, because it's so normalised to you that it's just normal. I'd say deadly to be honest." The event encouraged young people not to carry a knife, just to feel safe. At the same time, the Violence Reduction Partnership is spending £70,000 to help schools across the West Midlands, educating children as young as six. Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Ex-gang members share experience at youth event Teens sentenced to life in mistaken identity murder City of Wolverhampton Council My Tomorrow campaign
BBC News
09-04-2025
- BBC News
Hundreds of Wolverhampton children hear knife crime message
Hundreds of children from Wolverhampton have been hearing the stories of people who have been involved in gangs and knife 10 to 16-year-olds also heard from Nikita Kanda, the sister of Ronana Kanda, a 16-year-old murdered in 2022 in a case of mistaken identity. She said: "I really hope that kids can take away the fact that if this can happen to Ronan it can happen to anyone, so we need to work together to combat it."The day was organised by the City of Wolverhampton Council, as part of the youth-led My Tomorrow campaign. The project has brought together dozens of organisations, including the Inpower Academy CIC, a martial arts group in Wolverhampton that campaigns to stop knife founder, Daryl Chambers, said it had carried out a survey and most of the young people it spoke to "know someone within their friendship circle carrying a knife". Kairo Williams, another of the speakers, was 14 when he became involved in gang is 18 now and said: "You don't realise until you branch out how really bad it is, because it's so normalised to you that it's just normal. I'd say deadly to be honest."The event encouraged young people not to carry a knife, just to feel the same time, the Violence Reduction Partnership is spending £70,000 to help schools across the West Midlands, educating children as young as six. Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
21-02-2025
- General
- BBC News
Coventry sixth-formers deliver lessons on difficult topics
Sixth-form students at a school in Coventry are giving lessons to younger pupils as part of a programme to tackle difficult lessons at Bishop Ullathorne Catholic School aim to normalise conversations around topics such as bullying, gender stereotypes and unhealthy by a £70,000 grant from the region's Violence Reduction Partnership, the Change Maker Programme allows sixth-formers to teach groups of Year 7 pupils each head teacher Sarah Boyle said younger pupils could learn a "tremendous" amount from the scheme. Ms Boyle said the sessions were also about teaching pupils how to be an "upstander" and to "not stand by and let things happen" but to instead tackle them in the right said she was "extremely proud" of the sixth-form students delivering the sessions."The school's not just about exam grades. That's really important but it's also important for them to be skilled in life, so these sessions that are being delivered are giving them skills to be able to tackle issues that they come across," she added. Sixth-former Belinda said she loved delivering the sessions and seeing the younger pupils engage with the topics."I think it's definitely helped them realise like a lot of internal issues that we have," she who has also been taking part, said the youth-led My Tomorrow campaign was "very important" because of the increase in violence around the West Midlands."They keep coming back with good feedback," he said of the pupils."It is really important because even when they contribute to their class they also open the horizons for other students who may not contribute as much as well."Year 7 pupils Stella and Elizabeth said they were "really enjoying" the sessions and could link real-life scenarios to their daily lives."We need to be learning about stuff like this in school so we can actually put it in our daily lives and make use of it," Elizabeth added. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
