I am the mother of Ronan Kanda. On 29 June 2022, my beautiful 16 year old son was fatally stabbed just yards away from our home. It was broad-daylight and he was attacked by two boys who went to the same school as my son. Prabjeet Veadhesa and Sukhman Shergill were armed with a ninja sword and a machete in a friendly, peaceful neighbourhood, looking for someone else. I lost my innocent son to a harrowing case of mistaken identity.

Knife crime is getting worse. Most recent data from the ONS showed a 21% increase in the number of knife and offensive weapon offences recorded between September 2021 to 2022. This is a problem which requires immediate and drastic change at a national level.

The government is currently considering whether to introduce new knife legislation to restrict the sale of machetes and large knives. I have written this open letter to the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak urging his government to take these proposals further and implement an outright ban of the sale of all types of machetes, swords & other threatening bladed articles online. There is no place for these knives on our streets or in anyone’s home. Please help to save lives and get justice for Ronan, and all the young people who we’ve needlessly lost to knife crime, by signing this open letter below:

Dear Prime Minister,

I am writing to you as a grieving mother with the support of XXX members of the public, with an urgent plea for your government to implement an outright ban on the sale of machetes, swords and all other threatening bladed articles online.

On 29 June 2022, my son Ronan Kanda was fatally stabbed just a few yards from our home. He was walking home like a normal boy and completely unaware of the attack. The murderers mistook my son for someone else - a mistake that has ended Ronan’s life far too soon and left my entire family devastated. Ronan was a sweet, kind and caring 16-year-old boy who was loved by all those that knew him. He was friends with everyone and was always making those around him smile. If this can happen to Ronan, it can happen to anyone.

An outright ban of the sale of machetes, swords and all other threatening bladed articles online is absolutely necessary for the reasons outlined below:

• It is too easy for these dangerous knives to be obtained by the wrong people for the wrong reasons: Prabjeet Veadhesa was 16 years old when, over the course of a few months, he illegally obtained approximately 26 knives, machetes and swords from the online store DNA Leisure. The company described these dangerous knives as being “like paintings". All it took was Prabjeet Veadhesa using his mother's ID once to pass security checks that enabled him to purchase a collection of these knives. Knives that he confessed in court that he was illegally selling on to others for a profit.
• Companies and postal services are failing to conduct legally required ID checks for age-restricted items: On the morning of my son's murder, Prabjeet Veadhesa collected a parcel from his local Post Office. The parcel contained a set of two ninja swords that he had ordered from DNA Leisure. Prabjeet Veadhesa was able to buy these swords and collect them without being questioned about his age. Later that day, at 8.34pm, Prabjeet Veadhesa used one of these swords to murder my son. He murdered my son by stabbing him twice - the first went 20cm through Ronan's abdomen and the second went 17cm straight through my son's heart.
• These easily accessible knives are directly linked to rising knife crime across our nation. Sellers state these knives are collector’s items, sports equipment, or for outdoor enthusiasts, but the truth is that these knives are directly linked to rising knife crime which is killing our youth and leaving so many families and communities devastated.

I understand that the Home Office is currently considering proposals for new knife legislation to tackle the use of machetes and other bladed articles in crime. These considerations include the question of which machetes and large knives should be banned. Although this is a step in the right direction, I emphasise the need for your government to go further by implementing an outright ban of all machetes, swords and all other bladed articles online. There is no place for these knives on our streets or in anyone’s home. Too many young people are being murdered and too many families and communities are being torn apart because these knives are so easily obtainable.

I urge you to consider this proposal and save the lives of so many innocent people that deserve to be safe on our streets. When something like this happens, people are quick to use the saying "wrong place at the wrong time". People are also quick to assume knife crimes are gang related. Whilst that might be the case in some instances, my son was not in the wrong place at the wrong time - he was just two doors away from his home. It was broad daylight on a summer’s evening. Nor was he part of a gang – he was a sweet, loving, hard-working boy with many friends and a very bright future ahead of him. He should still be with us today.

Yours sincerely,

Pooja Kanda, Ronan's mum