Knife crime is out of control, says mother of A-level boy killed at Facebook house party
THE mother of the teenager stabbed in the heart at a house party yesterday launched a fierce attack on the soft justice meted out for knife crime in Britain.
Caroline Shearer, 47, called for the death of her son, Jay Whiston, to spur a fight back against the growing knife culture.
The ‘gentle’ 17-year-old A-level pupil was killed after going to the aid of a friend outside the party, which had been gatecrashed by youths who saw details of the event on Facebook.
Two months ago official figures revealed just one in every five knifewielding thugs is being jailed, despite a pre-election promise by the Tories to jail anyone caught carrying a blade.
Mrs Shearer told the Mail: ‘Knife crime is getting out of control. Kids are being injured and murdered. Innocent children are dying. Being tough on crime isn’t a sign of an uncaring society. It is a sign of a caring society.
‘Any parent knows the easiest thing in the world is to say to a child to go off and do what they want. It is hard to say no.’
The Tories scrapped their tough line on knife crime after coming to power because of concerns about cost and a higher prison population.
Mrs Shearer, a full-time foster carer from Clacton, Essex, added: ‘It’s typical of politicians.
‘This can’t
go on’
It’s all about getting votes and then they change their minds.
‘But money shouldn’t stand in the way of saving lives.’
Mrs Shearer broke down in tears as she told ITV’s Daybreak how she fussed over Jay before he went to the party, insisting he had some pizza so he would not leave on an empty stomach.
Describing the last moment she saw him, she said: ‘I kissed him. That was it. The last time.’
She added: ‘This can’t go on. Parents have to take more responsibility of knowing where their children are. Knowing what their children are doing.
‘Two days ago I had a son, singing quite happily, a bit grumpy, teenager, normal. But now what have I got? An empty shell.’
Jay’s father, Stafford, described his son as his ‘hero’ yesterday. ‘If you could pick a son, you would pick him. Jay was the best,’ he said. Jay was killed on Saturday night outside the £ 450,000 detached house in Colchester where the party was held.
The expected number of guests had doubled to 200 after word spread on Facebook and Twitter.
The party was hosted by Laura Gathercole, 15. Her father Paul, who was at the house to supervise, last night spoke of his devastation