Birmingham champion boxer slams nightclub security after fatal dancefloor stabbing
Midlands boxing sensation Gamal Yafai has hit out at poor nightclub security after a 23-year-old was stabbed to death on a Digbeth dancefloor.
Police were called to The Crane Club at 11.45pm on Boxing Day after reports of a man being stabbed inside, he died half an hour afterwards.
The former European bantamweight champion and brother of Olympic gold medalist Galal Yafai took to Twitter to vent his frustration at the latest death in Birmingham.
He told his 25,000 followers: "Every nightclub round the country should have metal detectors on the door to check for weapons or shouldn’t be allowed to open, another lad killed cause the systems to laidback.
"Stop making it to easy for a lad to walk anywhere with a knife in his boxers."
Yafai is not the only combat sports star from the second city to campaign against knife crime.
UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards has been working with youths after a teenager he knew was stabbed to death in Smethwick two years ago.
The police have yet to arrest anyone in connection with the Boxing Day stabbing and have launched a massive manhunt with detectives viewing CCTV from the nightclub and urging witnesses to get in touch.
Detective Inspector Michelle Thurgood, leading the investigation, said: “This was a young man enjoying himself with friends on a Boxing Day night out and our thoughts are with his friends and family today.
“We know there were hundreds of people in the nightclub at the time. While we’ve spoken to a number of them already, we still need to hear from anyone who was there and who witnessed or even filmed what happened."
The scene remains closed while officers gather evidence, and neighbourhood officers will be patrolling the area over the coming days to offer reassurance.
Anyone with information has been asked to get in touch via Live Chat, quoting log 3792 of December 26. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
