The father of a teen stabbed to death with a samurai sword has called for a crackdown on social media sites he accuses of glamourising knife crime.
Stanley Goupall, 51, was speaking out after violence-blighted London was rocked by the knife murders of two more youngsters in 24 hours.
He lost son Jermaine aged 15 last August when he was attacked by a rapper who had boasted in his lyrics about killing someone.
Stanley said he is concerned kids are scoring points with pals by committing sickening acts of violence.
And slamming YouTube videos that promote explicit lyrics and violence, he said the site owners have “blood on their hands”.
He also hit out at Facebook after the Sunday People revealed the social media site has been used to sell knives to children.
Salesman Stanley said: “We need to have these sites regulated. Facebook has to take responsibility for what is happening on their site and they are putting kids’ lives in peril by not stopping these sales.
“YouTube have blood on their hands. He would still be here if it wasn’t for these silly videos. Social media are allowing the glamourisation of knife crime – and making profit from it.
“Kids are stabbing kids so they get more Instagram followers. There’s a raging violent crime epidemic in Britain and it’s getting worse.”
The comments come after Jai Sewell, 15, was ambushed just 500 yards from his South East London home on Thursday.
Stanley’s son Jermaine was also knifed streets away from his home in Croydon, South London.
He was targeted by a masked gang as he walked home from a visit to the cinema in August last year.
Stanley said: “When I heard about Jai’s death, my heart sank. It reminded me so much of my son’s murder. Both were 15 and both were killed just yards from their home.”
The murder was the 249th fatal stabbing across the UK so far this year – more than the total for 2015 and 2016.
Jermaine’s murder was one of the first cases to highlight the links between drill music and violence. One of his killers, Junior Simpson, was a 17-year-old rapper known as M-Trap 0, whose lyrics were used in evidence. In one of his songs still on YouTube, Life of a Crook, lyrics go: “I saw man run. He got poked up [knifed]. He had his poke and still got touched [stabbed].”
Jailing Simpson for life in February, Judge Anthony Leonard said: “You wrote lyrics that predicted the exact type of crime that took place.”
Just 24 hours after Jai was found, a 17-year-old boy became the 21st teen killed in a stabbing in the capital this year. He was attacked outside Clapham South Tube station in South West London.
Floral tributes were laid near the scene yesterday and shocked locals told of hearing a terrible scream. Police have yet to name the victim. Stanley, who has a room devoted to Jermaine at his home, said: “The Government needs to tackle this problem sooner rather than later.
“Jermaine dreamed of being an engineer. He was innocent. And he was taken away for no reason. The killers have ruined his life and broken up our family. My daughter finds it hard to visit the house as she can’t take the memories. There’s a big hole in our lives that can never be filled.”
Figures last month revealed knife crime has hit record levels, while violence continues to soar as the number of cases solved falls.
Stanley said: “Knives should be banned from being bought online. Someone should be made accountable. It’s ridiculous this is allowed in the current climate.”
YouTube said: “Our hearts go out to Jermaine’s family. We do not allow videos that are abusive or promote violence.
“We work closely with community organisations and the Met Police who understand and provide relevant context for videos, and we act quickly to review and remove them when they violate our policies.
“In the UK, we have developed policies to help tackle knife and gang crime.”
Facebook was also contacted for comment.
Read More
Top news stories from Mirror Online
-
Texts of couple who left baby to die
-
OAP attack yob moans HE’S ‘too scared’ -
Wife of violent husband still wants him
-
Woman gang raped by three men
Source: Read Full Article