Grieving Merseyside mums have opened up about their pain after losing their sons to knife crime.
Mandy Jamieson, the mother of Daniel Gee-Jamieson who died after sustaining a fatal stab wound at a park just off Belle Vale Road in Gateacre in July 2018, said she is “living a life sentence”. She explained how when she closes her eyes she can still see her son and warned other parents about the issue of knife crime in the region.
Daniel was just 16 when he bled to death following a pre-arranged "straightener" in Nook Park in July 2018. The teenager was unarmed but was stabbed in the leg in front of dozens of onlookers. Owen Cousins, Redwood Road, Gateacre, was later found guilty of manslaughter.
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On the night of July 3, Mandy received a knock on the door of her home to tell her "your son has been stabbed". The woman soon drove Mandy to Belle Vale Road where she found her son, "lying on the floor, covered in blood”. As mum Mandy lay holding her son in her arms, Daniel said: "Mum, I just want to go to sleep." He died in the hospital a short time later.
Since then, Mandy has lived with an immense amount of pain with “every single day” being the exact same.
She told the ECHO: “It’s hard work being a grieving mother. I am living a life sentence. Every single day is exactly the same. When I close my eyes at night I see Daniel. Every morning I wake up it’s the same because you realise he’s gone. When your child has been taken like mine has been taken, it’s another level - and it’s not just something you can get over.”
Echoing a similar sentiment was Julie Regan. Julie’s son, Brandon Regan, was a bike-obsessed teenager who was left to die alone in a pool of blood in Speke. The 17-year-old had hot-wired his killer’s 50cc scooter and as a result, was hunted down, rammed off the road, and stabbed four times by Steven Jones, of no fixed address but from Netherley.
Speaking of her own pain, Julie said: “It’s unbearable. Time doesn’t heal; never. I’m never going to get over it.”
Following the killings and in an attempt to help combat the issue of knife crime in the region, independent school, Employability Solutions has launched a new community fund. The Platform for Change Legacy Fund honours the memory of three former students - Brandon, Daniel and Jamie Buckley - who lost their lives in tragic circumstances.
With the full support of their parents, the new fund will award three grants of up to £1,000 each year to a young person who will promote the education, safety and mental health of their peers within their local communities. It comes as Employability Solutions celebrates its 10th anniversary with a “huge ambition for the next ten years” to create safer communities.
Mandy added: “If we are in a position to help these kids then why not? Because what it does is show them that there is actually a different path. You don’t have to join a gang; you don’t have to go around stabbing people or carrying a knife. People need to grasp the fact that in Liverpool, gun and knife crime is rising - and it could happen to you; you could lose your child.”
Founded by Claire Cook, proprietor and Nadia Miller, director of student services, Employability Solutions has "transformed the lives" of over 2,000 young people across two schools in Garston in Liverpool, and Kirklees in West Yorkshire, with 8,000 qualifications achieved in that time.
Claire Cook said: “Bran, Danny and Jamie have never been forgotten by us and with the blessing of their parents Mandy, Julie and Donna, we want to make sure they are always remembered.
“We know ourselves how much investments like this can help people transform their future. Our business began with a small start-up grant, and so we are looking forward to being able to give back and afford opportunities to those who may usually miss out due to financial barriers. We are also inviting members of the local community to contribute and invest in the fund in the name of Bran, Danny and Jamie.”
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