Widow of stab
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THE devastated widow of man murdered by a knife-wielding thug of 14 is demanding an end to talk about tougher sentences and wants to see genuine action.
Grieving Lyndsey Blythe lost beloved husband Ian Kirwan when he was stabbed in the heart with a 12-inch knife after challenging louts at a supermarket.
She believes youngsters no longer have respect for authority and must face harsher deterrents for carrying knives.
While Lyndsey wants to hate Ian’s killer – who had been excluded from school 31 times and joined in an attack on a teacher – she realises harbouring a festering hate will do her no good.
And heartbreakingly, she has revealed she and Ian had hoped to become parents by adopting a child.
Last month, Ian’s killer, now 15, was convicted of murder and must serve at least 14 years.
Ian, 53, had popped to
B&Q in their hometown of Redditch,
Worcs, in March last year to buy a light switch and then went into the Asda store to use the toilet.
His masked killer, from Birmingham and who cannot be named, was with hooded pals and launched a minute-long attack after being confronted for knocking on the cubicle door.
Toxic
Lyndsey, 43, said: “The laws and sentencing guidelines for knife crime do not reflect modern society.
“It’s not enough of a deterrent to give someone a suspended sentence or six months’ detention for carrying a knife.
“Such sentences can never reflect the fatal consequences. I don’t think it matters whether that person is 13 or 30, longer custodial sentences would make these people think about the consequences of taking a knife out.
“Everyone talks about fighting knife crime but nothing is changing, kids are so entitled and defiant, they don’t respect authority. They know they’re just going to get a telling off rather than a long sentence or rehabilitation.
“And if they’re in toxic family situations they should be removed and the family rehabilitated. It’s about rehabilitation, repercussion and re-education.”
Blade killings are at the highest level since records began in 1946, with 282 murders or manslaughters in the year to March 2022. More than 4,000 over-16s faced trial for repeated knife possession in the year to September – but just six in 10 did jail time.
Since 2017, all repeat knife offenders over 16 should receive time behind bars. But custodial sentences are often suspended if it is “unjust to do so in all the circumstances”.
There were 48,390 recorded knife crimes in the year to September – up
11% on the previous year. Campaigner Lynne Baird, 65, whose son Daniel, 26, was stabbed to death in Birmingham, echoed Lyndsey’s call.
She said: “Whatever has been tried until now clearly hasn’t worked. “There are kids taking knives to school or roaming the streets with blades concealed. It’s terrifying. Knife violence seems to be spiralling out of control and the Government needs to get a grip on it.” At Birmingham crown court, jurors cleared the friends of Ian’s killer – now 14, 15 and 16 – of murder and manslaughter but found them guilty of violent disorder. They each got a youth rehabilitation order. Ian’s killer admitted the stabbing but claimed diminished responsibility. However, jurors unanimously convicted