The mother of Ronan Kanda has admitted it is "shocking" that weapons are still easily accessible to purchase online, following Labour's latest crackdown on such activity.
Kanda, 16, was stabbed and killed with a 20-inch "ninja sword" in 2022 in a tragic case of mistaken identity. The killer had purchased the weapon online.
Kanda's mother Pooja has since campaigned for Ronan's Law, which will require online retailers to report suspicious bulk purchases they suspect could lead to weapons being resold - and those who fail to do so face fines of up to £10,000.
Speaking on the crackdown, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has declared it is "important that we take action to protect our children", and announced a "major crackdown on online knife sales".
Kanda hit out at 'system failures' following Labour's latest pledge to crackdown on online weapon sales
GB News
Speaking to GB News, Kanda recalled the horrific incident which resulted in Ronan's death: "He'd said to his dad that he will be five minutes. And these two perpetrators came from behind, stabbed Ronan once in the side and second time in the heart.
"Ronan was just walking home. He has never been in any gangs, never did any drugs, he was just a good lad. He loved his family, his family loved him, and he was taken from us through no fault of our family or his own."
When asked if the killers were known to Ronan, Kanda said: "The attackers were known to Ronan, but they were after a friend of theirs who had taken £200. So this was over £200.
"The intended target owed the murderers and they were angry that they couldn't get their money back, so they thought, let's buy this ninja sword and kill the intended target. They tried to kill the intended target six weeks before what happened to Ronan, and they failed.
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Ronan Kanda was stabbed and killed in a case of mistaken identity in 2022
GB News / Pooja Kanda
"Then they came back to complete their intention, and instead of killing him, they took my child's life and they are in jail now. One is in for 16 years, the other one for 18 years."
Criticising how easy it was for Ronan's killers to purchase the weapons online, Kanda stated: "He was able to buy all these weapons, and I was shocked that these things were available.
"They were not just a sword, they were machetes, they were Rambo knives. And they were not just what we use to cut our vegetables with, they were huge. They were all bought online and there were 25 plus. It's shocking that these things were all available to this day, and they're easily accessible."
Asked by host Bev Turner about her campaigning for Ronan's Law and how it helps in her grief, Kanda admitted that "every day" she thinks of "what could have saved Ronan" from being murdered.
Kanda told GB News that Ronan was 'a good lad' who 'loved his family'
GB News
Kanda concluded: "It's hard for me. Every day I think of what could have saved Ronan. Every day I think of the failures of the organisation - why a 16-year-old was able to go through all the channels and was able to access twin ninja swords and a machete.
"That was over a period of six months, he was carrying on, buying and selling to them. So the energy, the anger I have inside me, is channelling it to make sure that if Ronan was here today, he would have been protected. I know that if this law was in place years ago, buying this type of weapon won't be that easy."
Reflecting on her son, Kanda added: "He was absolutely loving, caring, a beautiful son of mine. He's my dream son. I'm so gutted and broken, and I've lost him just like that within a second.
"I didn't get to see him flourish. But honestly, he is every mother's dream son."
