‘Broken-The Only Word That Describes My Family After Loosing Liam To Knife Crime’.

‘The issue we have is that no really cares about knife crime and they care even less for the victims and their families.’

Five years ago on Friday 31 January, Liam Taylor lost his life to knife crime. Stabbed multiple times with a total of 28 different injuries. His life ended on the streets of Writtle in Essex at the age of just 19 years old.

But what has happened to his family since his life was brutally cut short? What is the reality for families who have had to bury their children? Does anyone really care about them?

Julie-Liam’s grandmother has spoken to the Havering Daily about the reality of losing a family member to knife crime.

“I will always remember that day when the phonecall came. It will stay with me for the rest of my life. My family is broken, the only way to describe what has happened to us is broken.

“”When my daughter received the news that Liam, or Fish as he was known to his friends, was murdered-she went into shock. Complete shock. For years she could not acknowledge he was dead, she would tell everyone that he was on holiday and would be back soon because she couldn’t accept the fact that he had gone. His young sister, couldn’t eat, and she still struggles now to sleep at night. The light is never turned off in their house, they cannot be in the dark.

“These are the realities, this is what the outside world does not see. This is what happens when you lose your loved ones to knife crime. He was just 19 years old and he was our world and within the space of a few minutes, he was gone.”

Julie and her family have never been offered counselling, or any support whatsoever.

“No, none of us have had counselling. We have never been offered any advice or help, nothing really. Actually when I contacted Victim Support-they told me as I was his grandmother they couldn’t Help. Their words to me were ‘We arent’ here for you’.

Julie now does endless anti knife crime campaigning, she has really dedicated her life to stopping knife crime. She donates life Saving Daniel Baird bags and recently was awarded the British Citizen Award for outstanding work.

“I do a lot of work in prisons now and I bring with me a photograph of Liam in the coffin and show it to those who carry knives. I let them see the reality of what happens when you carry knives and the impacts it does on the families.

“The issue we have is that no really cares about knife crime and they care even less for the victims and their families.”

RIP Fish.

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