Shockingly young average age of knife attack victims revealed for first time

Shockingly young average age of knife attack victims revealed for first timeYoungsters from the poorest areas are seven times more likely to fall victim to fatal blade violence and three quarters of victims were known to social services, new analysis suggestsNewsTom Pettifor Crime Editor23:30, 20 Apr 2026View 8 ImagesDeshaun James Tuitt was stabbed to death aged just 15(Image: Metropolitan Police / SWNS.COM)The average age of children who die in knife attacks is 14, new research reveals.‌Youngsters living in the most deprived parts of the country are seven times more likely to fall victim to fatal blade violence than those from more affluent areas, the analysis suggests.‌Children who were stabbed to death had often experienced domestic abuse and three quarters were already known to social services, the study found.‌It is the first time a detailed study has been carried out into the backgrounds of children killed in knife attacks and the injuries they suffered. The researchers found Black children were 13 times more likely to be stabbed to death than their White peers.It comes from an analysis of the causes of death among under 18s in England between 2019 and 2024, published online today in the Emergency Medicine Journal.Among the victims were Deshaun James Tuitt, 15, who was fatally stabbed in Islington, north London in August 2022, Tomasz Oleszak, 14, killed in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, in October, 2022 and Fares Maatou, 14, murdered in Canning Town, East London, in 2021.‌READ MORE: Grieving families hail major change for victims so 'no family left in the dark'READ MORE: Major knife crime plan unveiled as grieving mum hails lifesaving measuresView 8 ImagesFares Maatou, 14, was killed in Canning Town(Image: SWNS.com)Neville Lawrence, whose 18-year-old son Stephen was stabbed in the heart on April 23, 1993, said: "On Wednesday it will be 33 years since the death of my son Stephen. During that time I have seen many more children and young people murdere...