8 People Killed in Spate of Stabbings as Politicians Urged to Tackle Knife Crime

Police officers patrol near to the scene where two men were stabbed to death in Halifax, West Yorkshire, on Oct. 1, 2023. Danny Lawson/PA

Eight people have been stabbed to death in a spate of unrelated attacks across England as a knife crime campaigner has called on politicians to help communities find “solutions.”

Four of the deaths occurred in West Yorkshire—two in Leeds and two in Halifax—and there were also fatalities in Slough, Bristol, Luton and north London.

The violent weekend began at 7 p.m. on Friday night when Ashraf Habimana, 16, was stabbed to death in Luton. The attack took place a few hours after an incident in nearby Sundon Park when two youths were knifed.

On a fundraising page, his mother, Fiona Namusoke, said Ashraf had been “senselessly robbed of his life by a group of boys on his way from school.”

She wrote, “Ashraf is my second son, my best friend, my hope, my dream, my future and the assistant carer to his extremely autistic brother.”

Ashraf is believed to be a relative of Tamim Habimana, 15, who was stabbed and beaten to death in Woolwich, south London in July 2021.

‘Senselessly Robbed of his Life’

Fiona Namusoke said: “Senselessly robbed of his life by a group of boys on his way from school. Ashraf is my second son, my best friend, my hope, my dream, my future and the assistant carer to his extremely autistic brother.”

Two teenagers have been arrested in connection with his death.

Detective Inspector Lee Martin said in a statement on Bedfordshire Police’s website, “Knife crime and violence has no place in our society, but it is a problem we must tackle together, alongside our communities, to challenge attitudes about carrying knives and provide opportunities to ensure our young people can feel safe.”

Two men, aged 53 and 65, were stabbed in a house in the Harehills district of Leeds on Saturday morning. Two men, aged 46 and 47, have been arrested on suspicion of their murders.

West Yorkshire Police were then called to a triple stabbing in the centre of Halifax around 3:50 a.m. on Sunday.

A man aged 21 died at the scene, and a 19-year-old died late on Sunday night. A third man, aged 18, was also injured in the incident.

Three teenagers have been arrested in connection with the Halifax attack.

Meanwhile, in Slough, near London, a 19-year-old was stabbed to death on Saturday morning in what is believed to be a gang-related attack. Three individuals, aged 17, 19 and 21, have been arrested on suspicion of murder, while a 53-year-old man and a 40-year-old man have been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.

In Bristol, a man in his 60s was stabbed in the St. Paul’s area of the city on Friday afternoon and Christina Howell, 36, is due to appear in court on Monday accused of his murder.

Avon and Somerset Police said: “The major crime investigation team is leading the inquiry and treating it as a race hate crime. The family has been offered assistance by Sari (Stand Against Racism & Inequality).”

The final fatality was 16-year-old Taye Faik, who was stabbed in Edmonton, north London on Sunday night.

His uncle, Altough Faik, 42, told the Evening Standard: “He was always smiling and was a pleasure to be around. He managed to get to his house after being stabbed. These boys must lay down these knives.”

James Bascoe-Smith (R) listens as his aunt, Rachel Duncan, speaks to the media outside the Old Bailey, London, on Nov. 4, 2022. PA

Knife crime has become a hot topic again politically following the murder of Elianne Andam in Croydon last week and Home Secretary Suella Braverman is expected to mention it when she makes her speech at the Conservative Party conference on Tuesday.

Rachel Duncan, a campaigner in London who runs Sit Up Stand Up 2 Knife Violence, said: “Politicians can’t just come to the communities when they are in crisis. They need to be present when we are finding solutions for community change that will make residents feel safe, especially young people.”

‘Education Is the key’

She said: “We need to engage better before this happens, and it will happen again. We need to understand that education is the key to all of this. We need to get in from the early years. We’re not scaremongering, this is a fact of life now, unfortunately.”

Her 16-year-old nephew James Bascoe-Smith—who was not a gang member—was almost killed in 2021 during a brutal knife attack in Brixton, south London.

As for sentences for possessing knives, Ms. Duncan said: “The sentences need to be longer, definitely longer. But having a longer sentence doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to be rehabilitated.”

She said: “We can’t just send them to prison. We need to give them the care too so they come out and are reformed, have remorse and deal with their mental health issues.”

There were 234 homicides involving a knife or bladed instrument in England and Wales 2022/2023, down from 275 in 2021/2022.