A mother whose son was stabbed to death has said a new study shows the criminal justice system is not doing enough to tackle knife crime.

Ministry of Justice figures reveal there were fewer immediate custodial sentences handed out for knife and offensive weapons crime in the North East and North Yorkshire last year.

The study shows 350 offenders in the region were given an immediate sentence in the year to September – accounting for 36.6 per cent of knife crime offenders who went through the criminal justice system.

This was up on the proportion of offenders handed an immediate sentence in 2020-21 (35.2 per cent), but below the proportion two years prior (45.8 per cent).

Tanya Brown, whose son Connor was 18 when he was fatally wounded during a night out, now visits schools to raise awareness of the dangers of carrying knives.

Read more: Open letter to Prime Minister for action on knife crime

The Northern Echo: Connor Brown Connor Brown (Image: Contributor)

She said: “This shows that our justice system is letting us down again.

“The police are doing their jobs by getting these knives off the streets and bringing those responsible to the courts. But for what?

“The sentence that is being passed is in no way a deterrent.

“Yes, more criminals are being sentenced than a decade ago, but there are more offences of knife crime, more victims.”

Mrs Brown, from Sunderland, is also supporting the Northern Echo’s campaign for more funding for education projects, youth workers and intervention strategies.

She said: “I totally agree that we can't rely solely on the justice system.

“We do need to focus more on education and investing in our youth.

“The government needs to realise this and start putting some funding into our young people of today, who are the foundation of the future.”

Read more: The Northern Echo calls on the Prime Minister for urgent action on knife crime

The study shows 39 offenders in the Durham Constabulary area were given an jail term in the year to September – accounting for 27 per cent of knife crime offenders who went through the criminal justice system.

This was down on the proportion of offenders handed an immediate sentence in 2020-21 (31 per cent), and below the proportion two years prior (49 per cent).

Overall, about 15 per cent of the 144 offenders in Durham who went through the criminal justice system were cautioned, 23 per cent were given community sentences and 15 per cent were suspended sentences.

The data shows 64 per cent of offenders in Durham last year had no previous convictions or cautions, 22 per cent had one, 10 per cent had two and four per cent had three or more.

Ministry of Justice figures show 151 offenders in Northumbria were given an immediate sentence in the year to September – accounting for 33 per cent of knife crime offenders who went through the criminal justice system.

This was up on the proportion of offenders handed an immediate sentence in 2020-21 (30 per cent), but below the proportion two years prior (36 per cent).

Overall, about ten per cent of the 463 offenders in Northumbria who went through the criminal justice system were cautioned, 21 per cent were given community sentences and 25 per cent were suspended sentences.

Research found 114 offenders in Cleveland were given an immediate sentence in the year to September – accounting for 39.6 per cent of knife crime offenders who went through the criminal justice system.

This was up on the proportion of offenders handed an immediate sentence in 2020-21 (38.3 per cent), but below the proportion two years prior (50.9 per cent).

In North Yorkshire 49 offenders were given an immediate sentence in the year to September – accounting for 40.2 per cent of knife crime offenders who went through the criminal justice system.

This was up on the proportion of offenders handed an immediate sentence in 2020-21 (36.5 per cent), but below the proportion two years prior (47.7 per cent).

Across England and Wales, nearly 19,400 knife and offensive weapon offences were formally dealt with – a decrease of five per cent since the year ending September 2021.

This is despite separate figures showing an 11 per cent increase in knife crime over the course of the same period.

Anti-knife crime charity the Ben Kinsella Trust said further investment in the court system is needed to help it keep up with rising knife crime across the England and Wales.

Chief executive Patrick Green said the figures show a difference between recorded knife crime and the number of offences that finally make it into court. 

He said: “They also show that there is now a higher likelihood that a knife crime offender will be served with a suspended sentence rather than go to jail for their crime.”

Mr Green said sanctions imposed by the courts are failing to change the behaviour of habitual offenders, and the courts system needs more investment to keep pace with increasing knife crime figures.

He said: "But we cannot rely solely on the criminal justice system to resolve this issue on its own. We must widen our focus to stop knife crime at source by investing more in our young people and the services that support and divert them away from crime."

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On a national level, the figures showed the average length of sentences for possession of a knife or offensive weapon increased slightly from 7.4 months in 2020-21 to 7.6 months last year.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “More criminals caught carrying a knife are being sent to jail for longer than they were a decade ago thanks to the decisive action of this Government to protect the public and make our streets safer.

“Our recent changes to sentencing mean repeat knife offenders are now more likely to face jail and the extra 20,000 police officers we are recruiting will help bring more criminals to justice.”