Three mums united by grief on mission to never see a parent lose their child to knife crime again
United by grief: Mothers of children lost to knife crime call on the government to do more to stop 'children dying on our streets.'
It's probably not unusual for three mums meeting for the first time to strike up a rapport, and when Esther, Kelly and Leeann came together in a Liverpool hotel it was obvious there was an instant connection.
But their connection is one based on a similar, unimaginable pain.
Esther Ghey, Kelly Brown and Leeann White have all lost their children to knife crime, and are now calling on the next government to take urgent action to stop more "children dying on our streets".
Esther from Warrington, Kelly from Manchester and Leeann from Liverpool have all been individually campaigning for changes to sentencing, life saving bleed kits and restrictions on mobile phones.
They have now met for the first time and say they’ll be ‘stronger’ and ‘better’ together.
Esther, whose daughter Brianna was killed in a park in Warrington says her "life is built on that one event. It changes everything".
"Something needs to be done, its urgent. It needs to be. It needs to change urgently," she adds.
Leaann’s 12-year-old daughter Ava, was stabbed by a boy she didn’t know during the Christmas Lights switch on event in Liverpool in 2021.
She told ITV news: “I'm constantly not thinking about that night as it constantly plays in my mind.
"Every time I close my eyes, that’s all I see now. Kids are dying on our streets on a daily basis. The government needs to step up and do more.”
Kelly, whose 16-year-old son Mero was stabbed to death on his first day of sixth form college, says whoever is in power needs to "step up".
“I feel like they're not taking it as serious as they should be. Like we've discussed before, they can ban these XL bullies within three months. Like it's taken so long to ban these knives for killing our kids," she says.
'A part of us died with them,' Kelly Brown told ITV News' Kelly Foran
I’ve met Kelly, Esther and Leeann over the years I’ve watched them fighting back tears in a court room.
I’ve also spoken to them a number of times on their journey to fight for the world to be a better and a safer place.
I've always found it impossible to understand how they must be feeling – consumed by grief brought about through circumstances few will have to endure.
All three have said people always tell them how strong they are, but they all admit they cry behind closed doors.
The start of a new day can, at times, feel to overwhelming for them, but they feel strongly that they have something to fight for.
All three lost a child, all because of knives.
Brianna Ghey’s killers Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe were given life sentences for her "brutal, planned and sadistic" murder.
A 15-year-old boy who cannot be named for legal, was jailed for life with a minimum of 13 years at Liverpool Crown Court for the murder of Ava White in November 2021.
Three men - Marquis Richards, 17, Ryan Cashin, 19, and Giovanni Lawrence, 20 - were jailed after being found guilty of Mero West’s murder.
When the mums were chatting, despite the horrors they’ve faced, there was a warmth between them. They understood each other's pain.
Sat around a table, Kelly told Esther and Leeann: “I just want to say, you are both beautiful souls. We've met, due to really bad circumstances, but I just want to say I'm here for you both and I'm glad I've made such beautiful friends. “
They hugged and the room fell silent. They have given each other hope, that maybe, just maybe they can help make this world a slightly better place.
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