Brother of murdered man speaks out against knife crime

The brother of a man who was stabbed to death in Wrexham in 2013 has shared his story as police forces across the UK take a stand against knife crime.

Craig Maddocks died after he was attacked whilst at the Cambrian Vaults pub in June 2013.

Francesco John Prevete was convicted of his murder and sentenced to 23 years in prison.

To coincide with Sceptre – a national initiative which aims to raise awareness of knife crime, Danny Maddocks is speaking out about the devastating effects of knife crime and the work he’s doing to stop other families suffering heartache.

Craig was just 34 years-old when he was brutally murdered and was known in his home community of Llay for being a keen boxer and a devoted Liverpool FC fan.

His brother, Danny said: “Losing my brother in such a way has been devastating for the whole family.

“It doesn't get any easier - people say it should but it really doesn't, and despite it happening 11 years ago the pain never goes away.

“There are good days and there are bad days. Sometimes I watch the news and hear of another stabbing and that trigger is there.”

Since Craig’s death, Danny has campaigned heavily to try and tackle knife crime locally and nationally.

He’s worked closely with the Youth Justice Service, visiting schools, boxing clubs and gyms to deliver knife awareness sessions to many young people in the Wrexham area. He’s also set up a On the Knife Edge Facebook page.

“I’m self-employed, but I’m always willing to visit groups on a voluntary basis to try and get the message through that no good can ever come from carrying a knife.

“If young people are worried or frightened about speaking out I’m happy to talk to them. I don’t want another family to go through the same devastation that we have – I won’t point the finger at anyone, I just want to stop things like this from happening.

“Many don’t realise that carrying a knife makes them more likely to get into serious danger. A knife can escalate things way out of your control, and make a bad situation much worse.

“As a family, we want to see change, and if it takes continuing to share our experience and calling for young people to speak out then it’s what we’ll do.”

“I fully support the Sceptre campaign and I’m urging anybody to surrender any weapons to the special amnesty bins that will be available across north Wales.

Chief Inspector Siobhan Edwards of North Wales Police’ Prevention Hub said: ““We must ensure that we are doing everything we can to reinforce the message that carrying a knife is unacceptable and that no good can come from carrying one.

“Every incident involving a knife has consequences for all those involved, and so this is an issue we take extremely seriously.

“I’d like to thank Danny for his continued support and applaud him for his voluntary work in our communities to try and prevent further victims.

“Whilst the causes and drivers of knife crime are complex, early intervention and putting in place measures to tackle the root causes are absolutely essential. We are committed to taking a collaborative approach to tackle knife crime across north Wales and we will continue to build on the already successful work with our partners and communities.”

Notes:

Operation Sceptre is a national initiative that takes place twice a year co-ordinated by the National Police Chief’s Council.

Knife amnesty bins are located at the following police station front counters:

• Wrexham
• Mold
• Rhyl
• Llandudno
• Colwyn Bay
• Bangor
• Caernarfon
• Holyhead

This year several Recycling Centres across the region are also part of the initiative and weapons can also be surrendered at the following locations:

Gwynedd & Anglesey:

• Bangor Recycling Centre, Llandygai Ind. Estate, Bangor LL57 4YH
• Cibyn Recycling Centre, Caernarfon, LL55 2DB
• Harlech Recycling Centre, Ffridd Rasus Harlech, LL46 2UW
• Dolgellau Recycling Centre, Ffordd Y Bala, Dolgellau, LL40 2YF
• Gwalchmai Recycling Centre, Gwalchmai, Holyhead, LL65 4PW
• Penhesgyn Recycling Centre, B5420, Menai Bridge, LL59 5RY.

Conwy & Denbighshire:

• Mochdre Recycling Centre, LL28 4YL
• Abergele Recycling Centre, LL22 9SE
• Rhyl Recycling Centre, LL18 2AT
• Denbigh Recycling Centre, LL18 2AT
• Ruthin Recycling Centre, LL15 1LY

Flintshire & Wrexham:

• Bryn Lane Household Recycling Centre, Wrexham Industrial Estate, LL13 9UT
• Lodge Household Recycling Centre, Brymbo, Wrexham, LL11 5NR 
• Plas Madoc Household Recycling Centre, Wrexham, LL14 3ES
• Greenfield Recycling Centre, Holywell, CH8 7GJ