Mum of Doncaster man murdered outside nightclub welcomes new 'knife bins' which will 'save lives'

The mother of Ryan Theobald has joined local political figures in welcoming a new ‘knife surrender bin’ at Doncaster Fire Station, following her son’s death.

Ryan, who was 20-years-old, and his friend Janis Kozlovskis were murdered in 2022 outside a local nightclub by Amrit Jhagra, aged 19 at the time.

Ryan’s mother, Lisa Theobald, said a new knife surrender bin outside the fire station on Leicester Road would “save lives”.

She said in an interview: “I don’t want anybody to go through what we’re going through. And we’re still going through it.

“For me, if we can get some of these knives and machetes and samurai swords off the streets, it’s going to save a life and that matters to me.”

Lisa had joined Kilvinder Vigurs, deputy mayor of South Yorkshire for policing and crime, Sally Jameson MP and Councillor Gemma Cobby at the unveiling.

Coun Cobby, cabinet member for enforcement and regulation, planning and safer communities, said the bins are “an opportunity for people to think about what they’re carrying and why they are carrying [knives]”.

The knife bins would allow people to give up dangerous weapons anonymously and without consequence, with Lisa revealing that similar bins around South Yorkshire provided by the Sheffield-based charity Always An Alternative, were proving successful.

Ms Vigurs said the bins, one of 45 rolled out nationwide by the Home Office, were a crucial part of addressing the national problem with knife crime, but said there is still more work to do.

She said: “It’s really important for people to understand this is one part of the solution.

“We really need to, as a society, give more opportunities to our children and young people so they aren’t drawn to gangs, being exploited, or fearful.”

Sally Jameson, who serves across the Cabinet Office and Ministry for Communities, Housing and Local Government in Westminster, said the government is “absolutely dedicated to tackling knife crime”.

She said: “I do hear about it [from constituents] and I’m concerned about it as well, I think we all are and we all want to get on top of it.

“There’s already some great work going on to educate young people to the consequences of knife crime, not only for victims, but also for those who perpetrate it.

“I think it’s super important we make sure the younger generation actually understand what it is and how it can ruin their lives to make sure that, going forward, we see a huge reduction in this kind of crime.”