Mum welcomes knife bin after son's murder

The mother of a man who was fatally stabbed has said a knife surrender bin in Doncaster "would save lives".

Ryan Theobald, 20, was stabbed along with his friend Janis Kozlovskis, 17, outside a nightclub in January 2022.

Their killer Amrit Jhagra, who was 19 at the time, is serving 26 years after the Court of Appeal found the original sentence of 24 years was "unduly lenient".

The new knife bin has been installed outside the city's fire station on Leicester Avenue.

Ryan's mother Lisa Theobald attended the unveiling of the bin alongside Kilvinder Vigurs, deputy mayor of South Yorkshire for policing and crime, MP Sally Jameson and Councillor Gemma Cobby.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Theobald said she did not want anyone to experience what her family had been through.

"And we're still going through it.

"For me, if we can get some of these knives and machetes and samurai swords off the streets, it's going to save a life and that matters to me."

Knife bins allow people to give up dangerous weapons anonymously and Kilvinder Vigurs, deputy mayor of South Yorkshire for policing and crime, said the bin at the fire station was one of 45 rolled out nationwide by the Home Office.

"It's really important for people to understand this is one part of the solution.

"We really need to, as a society, give more opportunities to our children and young people so they aren't drawn to gangs, being exploited, or fearful."

Doncaster Central MP Sally Jameson said the government is "absolutely dedicated to tackling knife crime".

"I think it's super important we make sure the younger generation actually understand what it is and how it can ruin their lives to make sure that, going forward, we see a huge reduction in this kind of crime."

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