A mother whose teenage son died after a suspected stabbing has released powerful images of him lying in hospital and pledged to join the Northern Echo’s campaign to tackle knife crime.
Gordon Gault, who was 14, died six days after he was allegedly attacked with a knife in the Elswick area of Newcastle in November.
Dionne Barrett has shared the heart-breaking images on social media so people can see the consequences of knife crime and joined other mothers calling for action.
Dionne said: “I took the photos because at first we were praying he would pull through so it was to say: ‘this is what you were like in hospital’.
"But it was also because if he didn’t survive, we thought we could use them to show people about knife crime and let them see the damage it does, that these are the consequences.”
Gordon was fatally wounded shortly after leaving his Benwell home on his bike at around 5pm on November 9.
He suffered a knife wound to a major artery in his arm and despite the best efforts of doctors he died on November 15.
Dionne said: “We were told there was more they could do and they were going to take his tubes out.
"They brought another bed in and I was able to get in and cuddle him while they took the tubes out. I could squeeze him until he passed. He was never alone.”
Police are continuing to investigate the incident, and officers have so far arrested and bailed 14 teenagers aged between 15 and 18.
Three were questioned on suspicion of wounding with intent to commit grievous bodily harm and the others were held on suspicion of conspiracy to murder.
Dionne is backing the Northern Echo’s campaign for action on knife crime, which includes calls for tougher sentencing and funding for youth workers to prevent young people carrying blades on the streets.
Dionne said: “Kids should not be carrying knives, at all. They should feel safe enough so they do not feel they have to have a knife. It is terrifying and it seems to be getting worse and worse.
“A couple of years it was very rare to hear about this but now it seems to be spreading around the country like wildfire.
“When I was younger we used to have youth clubs and all sorts but now there is nothing out there, nothing for the kids to do.”
A front page open letter to the Prime Minster has so far secured forthcoming meetings between Policing minister Chris Philp and Labour leader Keir Starmer with Zoey McGill and Tanya Brown.
They are the mothers of 18-year-olds, Jack Woodley, from Newton Aycliffe, who was killed in October 2021, and Connor Brown, from Sunderland, who died from stab wounds in 2019.
Read next:
- The fearsome weapons taken off our streets as part of amnesty to tackle knife crime
- Heartbroken parents came to North East for a better life but lost son in knife attack
- The Northern Echo backs mums of murder victims to call on Prime Minister for action on knife crime
The campaign also has the backing of Patryk Malocha and Kamila Wisniewska, parents of 14-year-old Tomasz Oleszak, who was allegedly fatally stabbed in Gateshead in September.
Dionne said: “The impact it has is devastating. It is important that the Government know what is going on.
“Something drastically needs to be done about this. They have to make sure there is more in place to tackle knife crime.”
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