Mother of 19-year-old murdered in Great Barr trying to 'make a difference'

Those are the words of Sarah Barry – the mother of a 19-year-old boy from Great Barr who was stabbed to death by a former friend.

Jack Barry was killed by fellow teenager Cameron Cheshire, aged 18, during a knife fight on March 7 last year.

And now Sarah, Jack's mother, has made it her mission to tackle the rising threat of knife crime by joining up with West Midlands Police to intervene in people's lives – as part of her son's legacy.

Speaking to the media whilst out with police in Birmingham, she said: "I can't change anything, I can't bring him back so the best I can do is try and make a difference – that's the way I look at it.

"They just rubbed each other up the wrong way and that night, they saw each other and it was a clash, and it was so quick. In my opinion, had it been a fist-fight Jack would've come out on top because Jack was (around) six-foot-one or six-foot-two and Cameron was tiny. And I think sometimes that's where the knife thing comes from because if you're tooled up, it makes the fight more even doesn't it?"

She said she had "never" been made aware her son was carrying a knife and said it had never been recovered, with the blade however believed to be "just as horrific" as the one Cheshire used.

"I don't know how I would've coped with that (had it been the other way around). I would've done because I'm his mum, but I would've been mortified – absolutely mortified – had it been the other way around," she said. "I'd still have him back in a heartbeat, but yes it could also have gone the other way."

Cheshire, formerly of West Road in Hamstead, Sandwell was found guilty of murder and possession of a bladed article following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court. He was jailed for life with a minimum of 18 years.

Sarah Barry spoke to the BBC as part of its '5 minutes on' series. To listen, visit bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0ddh6cl