A father whose son was murdered with a 12-inch ‘zombie knife’ believes tougher knife laws could have saved him.
A-Level student Malcolm Mide-Madariola, 17, had stepped in to stop a fight in 2018 when he was stabbed in the heart with the blade, which can be bought online for around £20.
His dad Olumide Wole-Madariola said Home Secretary Suella Braver-man’s fresh pledge to ban zombie knives and machetes is “better late than never”.
But he added: “How I wish this had been effective earlier, Malcolm would most likely be still alive.”
Plans outlined this week would allow police to seize such weapons while criminals who buy or sell them could face up to two years in jail. Mr Wole-Madariola, 54, said it was “appalling” that crimes are still committed with these knives five years after Malcolm’s murder in Clapham, South London.
He told the Mirror the ban is the “right procedural step”, adding: “I am only hoping whatever ban will also stipulate the appropriate punitive measure so that culprits like my son’s killer, who was once arrested with a zombie knife, will not have the guts to go for another.
“The ban should cover all loose zombies in warehouses, shelves, online retailers and with criminals.
“I can’t wait to see the ban in effect so lives can be saved.”
The family, from Dulwich, will mark what would be Malcolm’s 22nd birthday on May 1.
Mr Wole-Madariola added: “Grief is something that you never come out from. Malcolm would have graduated uni last year.”
The family set up a foundation in Malcolm’s name to help steer young people away from knives.
The Government is holding a seven-week consultation on its plan to ban large knives that are “not purchased for a practical use” and are “designed with the intention to threaten”.
It seeks to undo a loophole in a 2016 law change which led to manufacturers adapting designs to evade seizure by ensuring they are sold online without any threatening words and pictures.
Currently, machetes and large knives are illegal to carry in public places, but can be kept at home.
Patrick Green, of campaign group the Ben Kinsella Trust, said: “Since 2016, five Home Secretaries have made promises to ban zombie knives. Yet it remains incredibly easy to get hold of these weapons. We must act now.”
The mum of 12-year-old Ava White, stabbed to death at a Christmas light switch-on in 2021, says new adult knife ‘stop and search’ orders must also apply to children.
Ava was knifed in the neck by a boy just two years older than her after a row over a video posted online in Liverpool.
Merseyside Police is one of four forces trialling new Serious Violence Reduction Orders to search over-18s with blade convictions.
Offenders could be jailed, fined or both. But Ava’s mum, Leeann, 40, said: “We all know there are 12-year-olds capable of murder.”
