No prison for child knife sellers

[23 July 2008]

No one was sent to prison for selling a knife to a child between 2001 and 2006 in England and Wales.

Although the majority of the 71 people convicted of selling knives to children aged under 16 were fined, the fines were typically less than £500, despite the minimum fine being £5,000. Furthermore, only one person was given a community sentence, although the maximum sentence available is six months in prison. Research suggests that the age of knife crime victims has been falling, but official data reveals that the actual number of people killed with a sharp instrument across the UK up until 2006 remained stable, at a figure of approximately 200 per year.

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