Parents of tragic Sunderland teenager Connor Brown back new knife crime campaign

The parents of murdered teenager Connor Brown are backing a campaign aimed at ensuring no more families have to share their pain.

Connor died after he was stabbed five times in a row that started over a £5 note.

Leighton Barrass, 20, of Hartside Square and pal Ally Gordon, 20, of Polmuir Road, denied murder and were tried by a jury at Newcastle Crown Court.

Barrass was found guilty of murder and having a knife in public and jailed for life with a minimum of 20 years behind bars. Gordon was cleared of murder but found guilty of manslaughter and having a knife in public after the killing. He was jailed for three-and-a-half years.

Connor's parents Tanya and Simon set up the Connor Brown Trust to raise awareness of the potentially devastating impact of knife crime.

Now they are throwing their support behind a hard-hitting new campaign targeting the people most likely to be involved.

Launched by Police Commissioner Kim McGuinness and Northumbria’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), the ‘Knives Impact Everyone’ campaign uses emotionally charged graphics which feature unanswered text messages and will be plastered across social media as well as on the backs of buses, billboards, and kiosks.

Tanya and Simon joined Ms McGuiness and representatives of the VRU at a Stagecoach bus depot. in Newcastle to launch the campaign.

It features the words: ‘Knife crime cuts deep. Whether you’re carrying or you’re a victim, the consequences impact everyone; family, friends, emergency services and communities’. 

Asked what brought the couple to support the campaign, Tanya replied: "Our son. Connor is the reason we do what we do. Our love for him is the reason we do what we do.

"We just don't want any more. We don't want any more victims of knife crime."

The new campaign has been designed with input from school children across the region, all keen to play a part in ending violence that has ruined lives in the region.

Kim McGuinness set up the region’s first Violence Reduction Unit in 2019. It works with a range of services and youth organisations to engage as many young people as possible, and to understand the causes of knife crime and how to prevent it: “We must reach kids with the right messages and the right opportunities – that’s how we prevent any more lives being lost in the North East," she said.

"I don’t want to see another family go through the devastation of losing a loved one to knife crime. We’ve seen some incredibly brave families go through the unthinkable and we must put our all into stopping history repeating itself.

"Worried parents, teachers, police officers, not to mention so many young people themselves – everyone is desperate to put an end to senseless stabbings. We need real change and we have listened to these voices."

Chief Superintendent Helena Barron, of Northumbria Police, said: “We very much support the campaign from the Violence Reduction Unit and welcome any initiative which helps highlight and reduce the devastation knife crime can cause.

"Knife crime is a complex issue and one each and every one us has a responsibility to help tackle.

"I hope this campaign will make people realise the potential consequences of carrying a knife or weapon – not only could you take away someone else’s future and cause untold pain to their loved ones, but also ruin your own life and those of your family and friends.

"We would urge anyone who does carry a knife to think again and stop."

To report someone who carries a knife, or to share concerns, please use the Tell us Something page on the Northumbria Police website or via 101. Alternatively, you can contact independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

You can find out more about the work of the Northumbria Violence Reduction Unit and the campaign to reduce knife crime here: www.KnivesImpactEveryone.co.uk