We’re too soft on knife crime, says mother of stabbing victim
IT was a crime that shocked Scotland – a 16-year- old girl killed in the playground by one of her classmates.
Now, 25 years later, the mother of the last teenager stabbed to death in a Scottish school has said not enough is being done to tackle knife crime.
Diane Watson was killed by bully Barbara Glover at Whitehill Secondary School in Dennistoun, Glasgow, in April 1991.
Her killer, who was also aged 16, mistakenly believed that Diane had stolen her boyfriend, so she attacked her with a kitchen knife – stabbing her through the heart and liver.
The teenage victim was carried home by her friends and died in a pool of blood in her parents’ hallway.
Her last minutes were spent with her father desperately trying to resuscitate her, while her distraught 14-year- old brother Alan looked on.
Blaming himself f or being unable to protect his sister, Alan
‘Not my place to
forgive her’
killed himself in his bedroom 18 months later.
Since Diane’s death, her mother, Margaret, has spent years campaigning for victims’ rights and now she has called for tougher punishment for teenagers caught carrying weapons.
Mrs Watson believes t hat schoolchildren should be encouraged to speak up if they know a friend or classmate is carrying a knife, and feels strongly that officials must be tougher on those caught with weapons.
She thinks that in cases where teachers or school staff are aware of knives or weapons on school premises, the police should be called in immediately to handle the situation.
But she concedes that the changes she wishes to see are unlikely to be brought in by the Scottish Government for fear of breaching human rights.
Mrs Watson said: ‘It makes me angry that knives are still being carried in school.
‘I’m absolutely outraged, especially if teachers know that pupils are carrying a weapon. Why would you want to carry a knife to school?
‘There is something not right there. There has to be some way that teenagers can speak to someone, maybe a telephone line or a box where they can drop a note anonymously.
‘But even if there was a way, schools can’t search pupils if they suspect anything.
‘Teenagers should be encouraged to speak up if they know that someone is carrying a knife.
‘And if teachers know that there are knives and there is a problem, the police should be called in immediately.
‘It is no use to call them into the office and speak to them about it softly, softly.’
She added: ‘ Two of Glover’s friends knew she had a knife that day. If only they had told someone. There are a lot of “if onlys”.’
After hearing a false rumour that Diane had stolen her boyfriend, Glover had taken a large kitchen knife from her home and hidden it in her school bag before attacking her teenage classmate during their morning break.
After the attack, Diane’s friends had carried her to her parent’s flat nearby, but there was nothing that could be done to save her – despite her father’s desperate efforts.
Mrs Watson and her husband, James, still live in the same home near Whitehill Secondary School in Glasgow’s East End.
And the former primary school worker said they often talk about the two children they lost – and remember the little things that make them smile.
She said that Diane was always studying and could often be found with her head in a book. She loved her family, as did her brother Alan, who she remembers was always raiding the family fridge.
But Mrs Watson said that the pain of losing her children was ‘always there’.
She added: ‘I say their names every morning and think of them, but then I see the last image I have of them and it spoils it.’
Although she was detained without limit of time, Glover was released f rom Cornton Vale Prison, Stirling, in 2000 after serving nine years.
Mrs Watson admits that the release of her daughter’s killer is something she has found difficult to come to terms with.
She said: ‘ She’s probably out there living a great life.
‘People say to me “can you not forgive her?” but it’s not my place to forgive her, that’s Diane’s, and she’s not here.’
Mrs Watson and her husband have spent years working with victims and their families. She believes that they are a group who are often overlooked by the authorities.
She added: ‘I think it has got worse over the years, in the sense that victims are put to the side.
‘There is too much about the offender and their human rights, but what about the victims and their families?’