Humberside Police calls on people to surrender knives after three tragic murders

In the past 18 months, three young men have tragically lost their lives to knife crime in the Humberside Police force area.

Sachin Hawkins, 19, Jack Howes, 29, and Tom Gaughan, 32, were all murdered following arguments that escalated because their killers decided to arm themselves with knives. Humberside Police has launched a campaign called What's The Point to highlight how senseless knife crime is and warn people who carry knives "for protection" that they could face decades in prison if they kill someone.

International student Sachin was studying at the University of Hull and had dreams of going into teaching when he was brutally stabbed in the heart by his housemate Syed Hussain-Kazi in a trivial argument over music tastes. Hussain-Kazi was convicted of murder and will serve a minimum of 18 years behind bars.

Jack was stabbed in Grimsby after an argument with Kian Feve and Robert Wattam, who were convicted of murder and manslaughter respectively. Feve was jailed for life with a minimum term of 22 years and Wattam was jailed for 12 years.

Tom was on a night out with a friend when he was stabbed in the head by Connor Hulse. The 22-year-old killer claimed he had bought the knife for a fishing trip and was only waving it to scare the victim but was convicted of murder and sentenced to a minimum of 23 years in prison.

"Nobody should ever lose their life at the hands of a knife, and the consequences of somebody using one can be catastrophic," said Detective Superintendent Al Curtis from Humberside Police's Major Crime Team who leading the campaign.

He added: “These are not all premeditated attacks by people who sought out specialist or adapted knives, most are incidents involving easily accessible, general household items which have caused deadly consequences as a result of momentary madness whether that be at home, on a night out, or in the street.

“Not only does it impact the family and friends of those who have lost their loved one, it is then the subsequent ripple effect on everybody involved whether they witnessed the incident as it happened or the emergency services who have helped the victim in seeking urgent medical attention.

READ MORE: Keep up to date with all the latest crime and court news from Hull with our free newsletter

“Knife crime can impact people from any walk of life, that is why we continue to support the national knife surrender Operation Sceptre which launches on Monday 11 November.

“It is really important to educate our communities that by possessing some types of knives, even just at home, you could be committing a criminal offence. It is also crucial to mention the fact that even if you are not the one carrying a knife, but you were there when a knife was wielded, you too could suffer the criminal consequences.

“By taking part in operations like this, not only can we educate people, but we can remove unwanted knives, and other bladed weapons, from our communities.

“Whether you find yourself in a confrontational situation at home, or are thinking about carrying a knife for your protection, ask yourself, what is the point? One knife impacts more than one life.”

Over 72 years, 865 months, 3754 weeks, 26280 days, 630720 hours, 37843200 minutes, 2270880000 seconds behind bars for the murderers of Sachin Hawkins, Jack Howes and Tom Gaughan. Just one second to shatter multiple lives.