I am a mum and I have one daughter of my own and two step sons all my children are between the 10-15 years of age. As with all parents I worry about my children constantly as they grow up, I want to know where they are, who they are with, how long they will be when out and what time they need picking up.



I want to know have they got their mobile phones etc, all the things that parents think of every day. From when they were little I always taught them to never speak to strangers, always stay with the person your suppose to be with but never really thought about the more sinister things such as people carrying knives and knife crimes.

I suppose I was someone who preferred to believe that this sort of crime just does not happen in the area where I live, but in reality it could not be further from the truth! When I think about it, I have read many articles in the local papers about knife crimes happening just a few miles from my door but still never really paid it the attention it really deserved and certainly did not realise just how much of a real threat knife crime is becoming

That was until last year, I was sitting down at tea time watching the local news with my daughter, when I recognised a lady on the television which immediately grabbed my attention. I could not believe my ears when I listened to the news report and would never in a million years have imagined the tragic story that was to follow, which had deeply affected this ladies life and those of everyone around her, turning her world upside down.

I then realised where I knew this lady from, I saw her nearly every day taking her grand-daughter to school which happened to be the same school as my daughter attends. This actually made her plight even harder to believe, bringing with it a devastating realisation that this sort of thing could happen so close to home!

Just one year previously, Annie Oakes-Odger lost her son to a violent knife attack whilst he was standing at a cash machine on a busy shopping parade; the attack did not happen in the middle of the night as you would expect, it happened in broad daylight in the middle of a summer afternoon.

A totally unprovoked attack which inflicted a single stab wound to the neck which ended his life. This shocked me and made me aware that it can happen to anyone, anywhere without warning or motive, which I find a very scary thought!

How would you carry on?

I personally could not even for one second imagine how it must feel to loose your child in this manner, let alone imagine how you could ever carry on living life when you know that the people who did this to your child, friend, loved one, whomever, are still very much alive, not only that but serving a sentence that has no relevance to the gravity of the crime, often having their sentences reduced! It should be, in my opinion tougher laws and stricter sentences which should be being applied. Not reduced time for good behaviour!

Parents need to make themselves more aware nowadays. This no longer should be a Taboo subject as it is something that could affect any one of us at any time without warning.

My son is set to go to a football match this weekend with his mates and although he is 15, I will make sure that he will have his mobile fully charged, enough money for the bus and make sure that he stays with his group of friends. (I am not implying that a football match is an unsafe place, but it is just an example of places where children want to go as they become more independent).

I totally support Annie in her plight to bring about stricter laws and tougher sentencing for knife-crimes, and hope and pray that I will never have to go through what she has. I find her a total inspiration, having the courage to carry on and fight for justice, not just for her but for everyone who has either been a victim of knife crimes or the people who are left behind to pick up the pieces of their lives.