Father of boy left blind and unable to speak after stabbing slams 'insane epidemic' of knife crime in London

Jamel Boyce, 17, and his father Patrick
Justin Davenport10 May 2017
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The father of a teenager who was left blind and unable to speak after being stabbed has spoken of the “insanity” of the knife crime epidemic in London.

Jamel Boyce, 17, a business student at St Francis Xavier sixth form college, was stabbed multiple times in the chest and legs following a dispute in Clapham High Street last October.

The attack has left him in a vegetative state, unable to feed himself.

His father Patrick, 54, told the BBC: “Knife crime in London is an epidemic. It’s insane.

“It’s like demons have just taken over the youth of today. There’s no morals, there is no love. It is insane.”

Jamel Boyce, 17, was left in a vegetative state after being stabbed

He added: “My life’s changed completely. What I thought was important is not important any more.”

Mr Boyce, who runs a music cafe in Brixton, told the Standard there were many knife crime attacks that were going unreported.

“We only hear of the victims who are actually dying, we don’t hear of the ones that do not die.”

Stabbing victim: Jamel Boyce's parents released this heart-breaking image of him in hospital
Met Police

He described the numbers of stabbings in London as “mad”, and added: “When I was growing up you always had respect for your elders in the community.

“A lot of these children are the only man in the house, their parents are very young and they are single parents.

“They have no discipline and no boundaries, there is nothing to keep these kids in check and they do as they please.”

He said there were also problems involving some children taking Class A drugs as well as smoking skunk cannabis which has led, in turn, to children suffering from mental health issues.

“There are a lot of problems that are causing this madness. The answer must lie in the home and school,” he said.

Earlier this year Patrick and Pansy Boyce, Jamel’s mother, released a photograph of their son fighting for life in hospital after the attack.

Mr Boyce spoke out after a series of 11 knife killings in London in a fortnight as well as multiple stabbings.

A 17-year-old from Southwark was charged with attempted murder in relation to the attack on Jamel, and is due to appear at a hearing at the Old Bailey this week.

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