London knife deaths: Mums tell of hardest calls after sons stabbed

Five mothers have relived the 'hardest' phone calls they each had to make after their sons were stabbed to death - in a bid to urge Londoners to speak up about knife crime.

They have shared their stories as part of a Hard Calls Save Lives campaign, which has been launched by the Met Police.

The Met say the campaign is particularly aimed at encouraging mothers, sisters or aunts, whose children, siblings, nephews or nieces may be on the fringes of knife crime to make a report if they know someone who carries a weapon or where one has been hidden.

Short films of the five mothers' stories have been released, along with adverts on radio, websites and social media, and Met commissioner Dame Cressida Dick hopes their "tragic accounts" will encourage people to call the Crimestoppers charity anonymously.

Archie Beston had been on a night out with friends in Kingston in February 2020 when he was stabbed to death by a man described in court as a habitual knife carrier.

On the night he was attacked, a van was deliberately driven towards the 19-year-old and another teenager outside the John Lewis store in the early hours of 29 February.

In the aftermath, Archie was knifed in the heart by Tyrone Bryan, who was later convicted of manslaughter.

His mother, Becky Beston, is campaigning for whole-life sentences for anyone convicted of killing with a knife and an automatic five-year term for possession.

As part of the Met's initiative, she describes having to make a call about having Archie embalmed.

"You should never have to use those words with your son's name. Ever," she said.

In February 2014, Pastor Lorraine Jones was unpacking shopping at home in Angel Town, Brixton, when two boys came to her door to tell her that her son, Dwayne Simpson, had been stabbed.

Directed to a local park, Lorraine ran over to her 17-year-old son, who had been trying to save a friend's life moments before being fatally wounded himself.

"I'd just come back from a busy day when the door rang," she recalls.

"It was like I was in another world. I felt lost."

The knife had gone right through the Dwayne's chest. He was rushed to hospital but later died from his injuries.

"I had to call my mum," Lorraine said. "It was the hardest call - I was out of breath and my stomach was tight.

"Even when I was making a call my hands were shaking. I tried it three times, I was just so helpless and weak.

"I had 20 wonderful years with him, and really good memories. But I didn't realise the impact he had until he passed away."

In January 2017, Quamari Serunkuma-Barnes was chased and stabbed three times outside Capital City Academy in Willesden.

The 15-year-old was well liked among his peers and was in the latter stages of preparing for his GCSEs.

He died at the scene and a teenage boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was later convicted of Quamari's murder.

Lillian Serunkuma recollects calling her aunt to let her know he had been stabbed.

"She just screamed," Lillian said. "That was the hardest thing about that day.

"It can be hard to make the call to say someone is involved in knife crime, especially if it's someone you know or love. But it's so much harder if you don't.

"It's almost as bad to lose a child or a friend to prison as it is to lose them if they're killed. Either way, they're going to suffer as a result of knife crime."

In March 2010, Godwin Lawson went to help one of his childhood friends, who had been attacked in Stamford Hill.

The 17-year-old was stabbed twice in the chest by Moise Avorgah, who was later convicted of Godwin's murder.

In the days after his death, Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson wrote to Godwin's family offering his sympathies.

His mother, Yvonne Lawson, remembers ringing her sister to break the tragic news to here.

She said: "I just kept repeating 'died, died, died'. Godwin was stolen away from us in such a terrible way.

"My family is broken into pieces, just missing him. We didn't even get a chance to say goodbye, and he's never going to be there, he's never going to be part of us anymore. The least we can do is use his memory to change lives."

On 29 November, 2010, Christopher Foster was set on by a group of hooded men with bats and a knife as he enjoyed a last drink outside St Christopher's Inn in Borough High Street.

After he was stabbed, he staggered inside the pub and collapsed. He died later in hospital.

The gang wrongly believed the 34-year-old was a man they believed responsible for an attack on the cousin of Christopher's murderer Aytach Lisani.

Upon hearing the news that her son had been stabbed, his mother Jean Foster frantically tried to get in touch with him.

"We called nine or 10 times," she said. "Slowly, we came to the realisation that he was never going to call back.

"People may think that keeping quiet keeps you out of their focus, but it empowers them.

"No one is safe if we keep quiet."