How knives destroy lives – from two of those who know
Bereaved mum and ex-gangster visit school
An ex-gang member and the mother of a young man who was stabbed to death have warned pupils about the dangers of getting involved in crime.
Glenda Crittenden’s son Tom was killed with a single stab to the chest five years ago while Francis Osei-Appiah was jailed for more than 16 years as a teenager.
The pair visited St Augustine Academy, in Oakwood Road, on Tuesday with officers from Kent Police’s Maidstone community safety unit.
Tom died in Sutton Road, Maidstone, on September 25, 2011, aged 21. His killer, 20-year-old Caleb White, was given a 14-year jail sentence after being found guilty of manslaughter.
Mrs Crittenden described the impact a momentary decision to use a knife can have.
She said: “For families that have lost a child it is devastating; the ripple effects reach out far. It destroys families. You live it every day.
“I’ve found these talks have really hit home. When I told the children about the knock on the door that every parent dreads they seemed to suddenly understand the reality.”
Mr Osei-Appiah fell into gangrelated crime while at school in Tottenham and at 19 he was sentenced to 16 years and eight months in jail for kidnap.
He served more than eight years and, while inside, completed a degree in health and social care before setting up the Reform Restore Respect charity (RRR).
He said: “Quite often I tell the children what their parents, teachers and the police have told them. But I have lived it and I hope this helps get the message across.
“Prison is not a nice environment to be in and a life of crime is not rewarding. It’s not the way you should choose to live your life.
“If I can get through to just one kid and stop them joining a gang then I have done my job.”
Sgt Paul Hughes said: “We want pupils to understand that carrying a knife, or any kind of weapon, will never make you or the people around you safer.
“The consequences can be severe; lives can be ended, families torn apart and communities divided because of one person’s decision to carry a blade.”