Reamonn Gormley march organisers back our “Hammer The Knife Thugs” campaign

Apr 14 2011 by Gary Fanning, Hamilton Advertiser

COMMUNITY leaders behind the march through Blantyre in memory of slain teenager Reamonn Gormley this week back the Advertiser’s “Hammer The Knife Thugs” campaign.

Anti-knife campaigners John Tierney and Michelle McInally have called for people caught carrying knives to be sent straight to jail.

They have demanded tough sentences for those who commit knife murders

Youth worker John, of Tyre Walk ‘N’ Rollers walking group, organised the march through the streets of Blantyre after 19-year-old’s Reamonn’s death shocked the community.

Now Michelle and John have launched “Community For Change” to rid their town of violence, antisocial behaviour and knife crime.

Reamonn was the 12th person murdered in the Hamilton, Blantyre, Larkhall, Carluke and Bellshill areas in the past year.

The Glasgow University student was the fourth person to be killed in Blantyre.

On July 22, grandmother Margaret Burke died after being stabbed 16 times in a knife attack just feet from her door in Parkville Drive.

On June 12, Gail Russell (26) was stabbed in the chest with a knife in Small Crescent.

On April 22, 18-year-old Liam Morrison was killed with scissors during an attack in Auchinraith Road.

Along with fellow campaigner Dominic Flynn, the pair express their concerns about knife crime and upsurge in violence when they met the SNP’s Kenny MacAskill in the Scottish Parliament on March 10.

After signing our petition, John (32) told the Advertiser: “We have meet been told by politicians and police that crime figures are at their lowest level and sentences for knife crime have never been longer.

“We are not seeing the results in our communities.

“What we are seeing is blood running down our streets by young people being stabbed.

“It is getting out of hand and time for change is long overdue.

“Up to 4000 good people came out in Blantyre and that cannot go unnoticed.

“We didn’t want that to be the end. We just wanted it to be the beginning.”

John, who works with young people at Blantyre’s Terminal One and Hyper Cyber in High Blantyre, said that the current sentencing for knife crime is “unacceptable” and has called for mandatory sentences for people carrying blades and offensive weapons.

His cousin, Stephen Cummiskey (17), was stabbed only a quarter of a mile from the spot where Reamonn was slain.

Stephen was knifed for refusing to give his attacker a cigarette.

John said he was “disturbed” at another stabbing and senseless attack.

“Stephen was stabbed only eight week’s after Reamonn,” he added

“Stephen comes from a good family. Thank God he is OK because it could have been a lot worse.”

Michelle McInally, who works at HSBC in Hamilton International Technology Park, said they want to make the streets safer.

“We do support the No Knives Better Lives education policy and the South Lanarkshire area will benefit from the doubling of the funds.

“We, however, believe that there should also be mandatory sentence for knife crime.”

South Lanarkshire Council were given a funding boost for the No Knives Better Life initiative, and John and Michelle have called on this project to be implemented immediately.

A council spokesman said: “The council’s Community Safety Partnership were pleased to hear the announcement that funding for this initiative has been doubled, and have been approached by the Scottish Government to participate in the campaign.

“They are currently in discussion with the Scottish Government regarding funding and how the initiative can be best implemented in South Lanarkshire.”