Sister overwhelmed by tribute to 'amazing' brother killed by mistake

The sister of a young man stabbed to death has paid a moving tribute to her brother and has vowed to continue educating young people on the dangers of knife crime.

Colin McGinty was just 21 when he was murdered in March 2001. He was on his way home from a night out with friends in Bootle when he was stabbed 15 times in a knife attack which Merseyside Police confirmed as a terrible case of mistaken identity.

The family described how Colin's parents raced to the hospital and witnessed the young joiner's final hours and his fight for survival. Sadly, despite emergency surgery, doctors could not save him and Colin tragically died.

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The murder sent shockwaves through Merseyside and Colin's death continues to have a devastating impact on his family, his friends and everyone who knew him.

Two men were eventually convicted of Colin's murder. Liverpool nightclub doormen Michael Brown and Gary Hampton both had connections to Liverpool's criminal underworld and had mistaken Colin for one of their gangland enemies. Brown and Hampton were both sentenced to life imprisonment with the trial judge recommending they serve a minimum of 18 years each.

Michael Brown was subsequently released by the Parole Board in 2017 but was imprisoned again in 2022 after being found guilty of seven offences, including conspiracies to possess explosives for an unlawful purpose; to possess prohibited weapons and ammunition; and to supply cocaine, heroin, cannabis, amphetamine and ketamine.

Today, Colin's sister, Laura Hughes paid tribute to her brother as she spoke at a fundraising event designed to raise awareness around knife crime and help provide bleed control kit cabinets in public spaces. Schoolchildren from 80 schools participated in Sefton school's say kNOwKnifeCrime relay race which started in Southport and has been ongoing across the borough throughout the day.

Kids from across the borough have been running together for the campaign and have received huge support online - with pictures and videos published on social media to document their efforts.

Laura paid tribute to the children and explained a little bit about the campaign. She said: "Today has been one of the best days in our campaign history.

"It's been emotional. I had to stop myself crying earlier today because I was so overwhelmed by the response we've got and the engagement with the kids.

"They know about Colin and they know about what happened, but they have come together to do something really positive to make communities safer and something which could save children's lives.

"Early intervention and education is key. It's much better to work with children early and prevent them going down the wrong path and inspire them to do something possible with their lives.

"Colin would be amazed at how many people have come together to acknowledge what happened and to say we know we've got an issue in society and we need to do something about it.

"We are passionate about bleed control kits because they can save lives. As a mum, these kits should be an available safety net in our public spaces, just like defibrillators are.

"I think he would be really proud."

Laura and supporters set up the kNOwKnifeCrime campaign and also fundraise to provide bleed control kits. Due to the efforts of all involved, they have raised over £8,000 so far for Cash for Kids.

The charity relay run began and ended at Kew Woods Primary School. Dozens of children lined the school entrance to cheer in the last-leg runners and sang songs to celebrate the runner's achievement. Headteacher of Kew Woods Primary School, Mrs Greaves said: "We're here to celebrate the end of our fantastic relay event in partnership with Laura and her family to fundraise for bleed control kit cabinets across Sefton.

"We want to spread a united message that there should be no knife crime in our community and we want to keep our communities safe.

"The kids have been phenomenal. They know it's a serious message but they have really taken it to heart that they can make a difference - they are the future and need to understand the dangers of knife crime.

"They also feel a moral purpose to promote a pro-active response should a tragic incident occur and with bleed control kit cabinets this one way to help people before emergency services arrive.

"Having Laura come in and speak to the children has really touched their hearts and minds as they can see the devastating impact knife crime can have on families.

A spokesperson for Sefton Council said: "The outpouring of support and determination from our school communities to get behind the #kNOwknifecrime campaign in memory of Colin McGinty is incredibly touching.

"Today hundreds of pupils from six to sixteen ran in a Sefton wide relay to raise vital funds for bleed control kits.

"We could not be more proud of our pupils and would like to once again place on record our thanks to the #kNOknifecrime team and the McGinty family for all the work they do with schools in Sefton to raise awareness of and prevent youth anti-social knife crime across the North West."

If you would like to find out more and donate to the campaign you can visit the fundraising page HERE.

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