'You can see this is where he dies', mum talks Northampton gang members through footage of her son's fatal stabbing

The mum of an 18-year-old stabbed to death by a gang used chilling CCTV footage of his death to warn Northampton boys about the path they are on.
Azaan Kaleem, whose mum spoke to Northampton gang members todayAzaan Kaleem, whose mum spoke to Northampton gang members today
Azaan Kaleem, whose mum spoke to Northampton gang members today

Azaan Kaleem was killed almost a year ago in Luton when a group of strangers surrounded him in broad daylight and repeatedly stabbed him.

At an event today at Sessions House, Northampton, to expose children on the brink of gangs to the inevitable outcomes if they continue, Roseann Taylor stood and narrated over CCTV footage of her son's death as it was projected on a screen.

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"You can see this is where he dies," Mrs Taylor said as Azaan slumped against a car.

As he fell to the ground, Mrs Taylor said: "And that's it, he's gone."

The event was to encourage the nine teenage boys to engage with CIRV (Community Initiative to Reduce Violence), a multi-agency project to reduce gang-related violence which has been successful in Cincinnati, Boston and Glasgow.

Mrs Taylor went on to describe the horror of trying to get to her son while paramedics were working to save his life on the street, and, later, holding the telephone to his ear in hospital so relatives could talk to him even though she knew he was gone.

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It was a further tragedy, Mrs Taylor said, that because Azaan was murdered and his body had to be withheld by the coroner, his organs couldn't be donated. She has since been told several other people were not saved as a result.

And she relayed to the boys the never-ending impact of the attack on her life and that of Azaan's family.

She said: "You have the anniversary of him being stabbed, the anniversary of him being brain dead, the day they switched off the machines. You have Christmas, New Year, his birthday - it just goes on and on and on."

Mrs Taylor was one of eleven people speaking to the boys from personal and professional experience, all telling them that they have a chance to lead a better life.

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Talking about the room they were all in, a former court room, Anton Noble a youth worker who had turned his life around after being in a gang, said: "I was there, sat where you are. And the worst thing is, I had no power, the judge had all the power and that hurts, I promise you."

But he added: "But the good news is, CIRV is here to help you."