Aunt of murdered Leeds teen says knife crime becoming too normal, as two kids killed every month
Mechelle Lewis, Alfie Lewis's auntie from Leeds is raising awareness after co-creating a play about his death, which is being showed in schools
Last updated 6 hours ago
At least two school aged children die every month from knife crime injuries in England, according to the first national analysis of its kind.
In the majority of cases a single stab wound proved fatal and 60% of victims died before reaching the hospital.
Mechelle Lewis, whose nephew Alfie Lewis was killed in a knife attack, said the figure only strengthen her determination to prevent further tragedies.
Fifteen-year-old Alfie was stabbed near a primary school in Horsforth, Leeds in November 2023.
Bardia Shojaeifard was convicted of Alfie's murder, which he carried out in "full view" of a group of school children.
Shojaeifard, who was 14 at the time was found guilty in May 2024 and was detained for life with a minimum term of 13 years.
“He is not just a statistic - he was a human being. A piece of you goes when you lose somebody so close.”
Mechelle now works with schools to challenge young people’s attitudes towards knife carrying.
She co-created Alfie Forever 15, a theatre production touring schools across Leeds. The play uses real life testimonies, music and video to promote safer choices.
It is accompanied by workshops designed to encourage young people to reflect on their decisions. These sessions track pupils’ attitudes before and after performances, showing significant increases in awareness.
In one case a student even came forward recognising they were at risk of becoming involved in knife crime.
Mechelle stressed the importance of focusing on knife crime prevention with younger children as well: “If a child is at 10 is making a choice to carry a knife, they can also make a different choice after seeing what they see,” she said.
However, she said individual efforts are not enough and to solve this problem “everybody needs to come from every angle with the same goal.”
She warned that knife culture is becoming normal among young people and the way they speak and is calling for wider action.
The figures on two children being killed every month from knife injuries, come from Bristol Medical School, who found knife-related fatalities among children under 17, rose from 21 deaths in 2019/20 to 36 in 2023/24.
Most victims were found to be boys with an average age of just 14.
Around one third of those who died were black, and another third were white.
When analysed on a population basis, young people of black or black British ethnicity were around 13 times more likely to die of knife-related injury than children and young people who were white.
In the majority of cases a single stab wound proved fatal and 60% of victims died before reaching the hospital.
Lead author Dr Tom Roberts, an A&E clinician at North Bristol NHS Trust, said: “Knife-related fatalities among children and young people are a significant public health concern.
“Our research identifies where action could be taken to prevent future tragedies and demonstrates the urgent need to support children facing adversity and marginalisation.
“Despite frequent contact with services, many children received no targeted support for adverse childhood experiences, especially domestic violence and abuse, revealing major gaps in early intervention.”