A judge has issued a stark warning to young people in Birmingham about the dangers of carrying knives following a harrowing case in which a 16-year-old boy armed himself with a zombie knife but came within inches of death.
District Judge David Wain addressed the teenager at Birmingham Magistrates' Court, emphasizing the severe risks associated with bladed weapons. 'Every time I sit in Youth Court I deal with several people for possession of bladed articles,' the judge said.
'What I tell them, what you must understand, is when you bring a knife to a scene and, whether you may or may not use it, causing serious injury or death in which you face a murder charge and go to jail for over a decade. It could be taken from you and used on you or, as in this case, the other person may have a knife and wins the fight.'
The boy had gone to Newtown Shopping Centre on January 6 this year after a friend claimed he was being robbed at knifepoint. The teen confronted the attacker but was stabbed in the chest with a Rambo-style blade. He suffered a fractured rib cage, and the blow narrowly missed his heart.
The judge described the potential consequences for the boy's parents. 'If the knife was in a different location instead of going to hospital they would have to go to a morgue and identify you. I have seen videos of that happen - it is not something you want to see. Knives are dangerous - they are not toys. If you bring a knife to a scene you can expect serious consequences.'
He added that it would have been 'awful' for the boy's parents to attend hospital and wonder what was going to happen to him. 'Given your age and previous good character you are given one chance, which you have just used,' the judge concluded.
The boy, who cannot be named, admitted possessing an offensive weapon in public at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on Thursday, April 17. He was sentenced to a 12-month referral order and ordered to pay a 26-pound victim surcharge.
