Support grows over scourge of deadly weapons as death toll rises
More tributes have been paid to two Black Country stab victims – as new legislation to tackle the scourge of knife crime was delayed at the last minute.
The latest stage of the landmark Offensive Weapons Bill (OWB) was due to go before the Commons last night in the wake of two more people being knifed to death in the Black Country.
But it was put back to another date so MPs could debate Brexit instead.
The aim of the new legislation is for a stricter approach to the sale, delivery and possession of knives.
The Black Country has been rocked by two more fatal stabbings in recent days, taking the number of people knifed to death across the West Midlands this year to 13.
Richard Helm, 37, was killed in Wolverhampton on Friday, and Christopher Harm, 28, was stabbed to death in Brierley Hill the following day.
Mr Helm’s family described him as ‘a loving son, husband and father to four young children’.
“He has been taken from us too soon. We love and deeply miss him so much.”
Mr Harm’s family said: “A loving son, dad and brother gone so tragically and a family left in pieces forever.”
He died at the scene in Engine Lane, Brierley Hill, at around 1am on Saturday.
Glen Elvin, 25, of no fixed address, was arrested nearby on Saturday morning.
He appeared at Dudley Magistrates' Court charged with murder this morning and will appear at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Wednesday.
No new date has yet been set for the OWB. Mike Wood, the Conservative MP for Dudley South, said new tougher laws were ‘vital’ in the struggle to crackdown on the ‘national problem’ of knife crime.
He said: “The message is clear. If you carry a knife for no good reason you will face a tough punishment.”
The legislation, which follows a Home Office consultation last year, will also address the devastating spate of acid attacks on Britain’s streets by introducing a new offence of possessing a corrosive substance in a public place.
It will restrict the sale and delivery of some types of knife, places an outright ban on the possession of so-called ‘zombie’ knives, and reclassifies certain firearms as ‘prohibited weapons’.
Wolverhampton South East’s Labour MP Pat McFadden, said: “This is important legislation and I support a crackdown on knife crime.”
John Spellar, the Labour MP for Warley, said he was ‘very much in favour’ of the new laws.
He said: “Due to cuts, the police are losing the battle for control of the streets – and the public know that.”
