It’s kids killing kids
EXAMINING A YEAR OF MURDERS IN BRITAIN
DURING one year in Britain, 768 people were killed – either by murder or manslaughter.
That’s around 14 people a week, and just one of the many shocking statistics we’re faced with in this powerful documentary.
Filmed between January 1 and December 31, 2017, this follows the stories behind some of those deaths, exploring the human cost of murder – families, friends and communities left to wrestle with the consequences.
Every now and again, a statistic pops up on screen to shock us further.
For example, we learn that 70 per cent of victims are male, 47 per cent of female victims are killed by a partner or former partner and eight per cent of victims are under 16.
There are many depressing accounts here. Starting with the fireworks of New Year’s Eve, we hear the story of Shaun Woodburn, a 17-year-old beaten to death by thugs outside a pub. The killers only got four years’ detention, with Shaun’s father Kevin fighting to appeal the lenient sentence.
And there’s a devastating account of the murder of Quamari Barnes, a 15-year-old stabbed by another 15-year-old outside his school gates.
“It’s kids killing kids,” says his dad Paul Barnes.
Later we hear the 999 call from a man who murdered his girlfriend, 44-year-old Lisa Chadderton: “This is an emergency, I’ve just killed someone.”
Shown alongside the statistical analysis, also looking at the pattern of homicides in Britain, this is a scary and unflinching look at crime in Britain today.