Protest over knife crime
Dec 27 2008 by Paul Loraine, The Journal
FAMILIES hit by knife crime are to march through Newcastle to call for tougher punishments. John Johnson is organising the protest as the latest stage of a campaign mounted in memory of his murdered son.
Kevin Johnson, 22, was stabbed in the heart outside his home on Partick Road, Pennywell, Sunderland, in May last year after he went outside and asked three youths to be quiet.
He had been living there with his fiancée Adele, their son Chaise, who was then seven months old, and Adele’s seven-year-old child from a previous relationship.
All three of his attackers – aged 16, 17 and 19 – were found guilty by a jury at Newcastle Crown Court last month and sentenced to 13, 16 and 17 years respectively. Along with his wife, Kath, 57, John launched a campaign under the title Enough is Enough a year ago, calling for a life sentence to mean a life in jail for the offender.
The couple are angry at the thought that their young son’s three teenage killers will each be out of jail before they are 40. In the summer, John led a group of 40 families to Downing Street to hand over a 35,000-signature petition backing their wishes. But despite being disappointed by what he sees as a lack of action on behalf of the Government, he remains positive about the cause.
John, 57, of Ridley Avenue in Ryhope, Sunderland, said: “I’m even more committed than I ever was, because we do want change.
“It’s happening more and more. Knife crime is getting worse – it’s an epidemic in some parts of the country. They think 12 years or 15 years in prison is quite sufficient. It’s not a deterrent.
“That’s not going to stop them picking up knives. What we want to see is someone getting four years if they are carrying a weapon.”
John revealed plans for a march through Newcastle in the new year. Families affected by knife crime and those supporting the Enough is Enough message will join forces on March 28 to march down Northumberland Street, Dean Street and the Quayside before ending up at the Baltic. He said: “We are doing this for Kevin and we want our justice. We want other families not to have to go through what we’ve been through.”
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Murdered for daring to stand up to gang
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