EXCLUSIVE:’The Government need to own up to this knife crime epidemic and stop brushing it under the carpet’.

Bereaved mum and anti knife crime campaigner Sue Hedges speaks out after yesterday’s stabbing on Ardleigh Green Road and shares how parents contact her asking where to buy stab proof vest for their 14 year old children.

Sue lost her son Ricky Hayden to the knife in 2016 and since then she has dedicated her life to trying desperately to stop others dying as a result of knife crime.

Yesterday, as the 18 year old male was being rushed to hospital after being stabbed, Sue was donating another Daniel Baird bleed kit to a Hornchurch venue in the hope that it will save a life.

Sue told the Havering Daily:

” I have lived in Hornchurch for four years now and it’s so sad to see how many incidents of reported stabbings over the last few years there have been. Especially recently, two in four days .

“When I got the message that another teenager had been stabbed, I was not far away on my way to donate a bleed bag .The memories of the night my son got stabbed came rushing back and the pain and the heartache my family went through and still do and will do till the end of our days.”

Sue, like many other knife crime campaigners is tired of fighting this battle with no help from the authorities.

“The government need to own up this is epidemic and stop brushing it under the carpet. A ‘sorry’ to the families means nothing, actions speak louder than words. I keep hearing no funding, but again they are only interested when they earn out of the community and not give back to the communities.

“To be honest I am now fed up of asking for donations from the public and small business to help make the community a bit safer in the streets. “

It is also heartbreaking for Sue when she receives messages from parents looking to buy stab proof vests for their children.

“It’s so sad when I get a message from a resident asking where they can purchase a stab vest for their 14 year old son for safety reasons when he goes out. The government don’t hear all this, we do the bereaved families / knife crime campaigners trying to make our streets safer.”

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