‘Lack of social housing is fuelling knife crime’
AKNIFE crime campaigner who was stabbed multiple times in a horrific attack has warned that a shortage of social housing is contributing to young people drifting into crime as he visited Halton to launch a scheme to protect the borough’s youth.
Stuart Newton, 40, was ‘four minutes away from death’ after the brutal attack near a Christian music festival in Southport on Saturday, July 13.
Having undergone livesaving five-hour surgery and been kept alive in the ambulance with eight pints of blood, Stuart survived, his attacker Colin
Howard, 43, of Royal Terrace, Southport, admitted wounding with intent, but denied attempted murder and was cleared of the more serious charge at trial and was sentenced on January 20 to 11 years in prison.
Stuart is now eager to use his experience to prevent others from having to suffer a similar ordeal.
At Runcorn Shopping City’s Youth Zone last Wednesday, February 12, Stuart launched an initiative aimed at giving young people aged 16-19 years and not in education, employment or training (neets) things to do and insights into the grim reality of knives to divert them from ending up being drawn into crime.
The scheme is being supported by the Haltonbased Live Your Life Drop The Knife campaign which was launched in Runcorn following the murder of 18-year-old Eddie O’Rourke and funded by Cheshire police and crime commissioner David Keane’s Safer Communities Fund.
The launch day was for registration to take place.
Stuart, of Magull, said part of the motivation for the event was to plug a gap in the availability of activities for teenagers in the 16-19 age group in Runcorn and wider Halton.
Those taking part will have the chance to try things such as banger racing supported by someone who used banger racing to keep out of trouble while his friends ended up in prison.
The four-week Unlock Your You programme will also feature talks including one expected to be given by someone serving time for involvement in gang violence.
Stuart said the aim is to ‘reach as many people as possible’.
Speaking to the Weekly News at the launch, Stuart said young people today are growing up under very different circumstances to 30 years ago.
He said a shortage of council housing means families are now faced with paying high rents, which means both parents have to work to make ends meet and there is less time to spend with their children and raising them.
This has been compounded by services being slashed and other social trends.
Stuart said: “There’s nothing at all, we cut so much.
“When we were younger, we’d say ‘a lot of kids aren’t getting the opportunities’ – they don’t even know what opportunities are now.
“They’ve been young the last 10 years and they don’t realise what they’re missing.
“A lot of people are saying they’ve got technology – the problem is it teaches you no social skills, it’s social networking, it’s not one to one.
“It’s not that proper interaction.
“When they’re meeting other kids, they’re arguing on social media, they meet up after this happens.
“When we were younger, there was stuff in place, sport where you could excel.
“We could be ambitious and create respect and status.
“Now there’s nothing, there’s nothing in place.”
On housing pressures, he said: “House prices have skyrocketed, social housing isn’t there.
“People have bought up private properties and private rent is sky high.
“But parents are struggling, both have to work, kids are left to their own devices.”
Go online for more information – search for Unlock Your You on Facebook.