Southport survivor Leanne Lucas ‘can’t unsee’ kitchen knife risks

A yoga instructor who survived the Southport stabbings said feelings of discomfort around knives in her own kitchen had inspired her to call for safer alternatives.

Leanne Lucas was critically injured in the 29 July 2024 attack that claimed the lives of three children – Alice Aguiar, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Bebe King.

She said she wanted to drive a cultural shift in which people swap their traditional pointed-tip blades with blunt-ended knives, which present a much lower risk of causing serious injury.

Miss Lucas told BBC News she recently realised that cooking had become a “trigger” for the feelings of hyper-vigilance she had experienced since the Southport attack.

“When I’m maybe with friends or family and they’re cooking away and we’re having a conversation,” said Miss Lucas, “I’ve noticed I’m watching what they’re doing, rather than listening.

“When this idea about the blunt-tip knives came in I just thought ‘this is a no-brainer, I don’t understand why our kitchen isn’t safer in the first place’.”

Miss Lucas said she had read articles, quoting actor Idris Elba and celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, talking up the potential benefits of blunt-tipped knives.

Last year, Miss Lucas arranged a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga workshop for children during the summer holidays.

It was targeted for unknown reasons by then 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana.

He was later jailed for a minimum of 52 years for the three murders, as well as the attempted murders of Miss Lucas, businessman John Hayes and eight other children who survived their injuries.

As the first anniversary of the attack approaches, Miss Lucas has announced the launch of the Let’s Be Blunt campaign.

In addition to selling standard pointed-tip blades, manufacturer Viners has been selling blunt-tip knives since 2020.

Jamie O’Brien, chief executive of The Rayware Group which owns Viners, said: “Knife crime is obviously a very complex issue and a complex societal issue.

“Our product won’t change that but what we believe is [that] design can make simple steps to dramatically improve safety, just as with seatbelts or with safety lids on kids’ medicines.”

When challenged on why his company still sells pointed-knives, Mr O’Brien said: “For us, it’s about the legislation from the government.

“We don’t believe in necessarily banning retailers – that is not our decision.

“We believe in legislation that improves the effectiveness of safer options.”

Miss Lucas also compared the Let’s Be Blunt campaign to previous widespread shifts in public behaviour like the the ban on smoking indoors.

“I don’t think it’s something that would happen overnight,” she said.

“There are barriers there – I’m very aware of that.

“But we just want to form that education. We want to bring that awareness to light.”

According to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), there were about 50,000 offences involving a sharp instrument in the year ending March 2024.

That is about 4.4% higher than the previous 12-month period, although just under 3% lower than in 2019-20.

“What worries me is we’re in this form of epidemic, and we’re not seeing it as an epidemic,” Miss Lucas said.

“Knife crime is increasing year on year, and I don’t see how we’re going to get hold of it if we don’t all work together.”

Miss Lucas has been invited to a Parliamentary reception on behalf of knife crime charity the Ben Kinsella Trust.

Its CEO Patrick Green said hearing the voices of people like Leanne, who have been directly affected, is critical.

“It brings two things, it brings passion and determination to tackle knife crime, but it also brings something particularly when talking to young people about lived experience and the authenticity of those messages which cuts through statistics, which explains the horror of knife crime in a way nothing else can”.

Miss Lucas is also hoping her story will have an impact when making her case later to MPs in Westminster.

“We need to all get on board as a member of the general public and say we’re not OK with the increase in knife crime, and we want to play a tiny part towards preventing future knife crime,” she said.

“I can’t now ‘unsee’ what’s in the kitchen, so I’ve got to do something about that.

“And I think that’s the movement we’re trying to create.”