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Knife crime

Lethal blades

Children in the North are getting hold of some of the deadliest weapons on the streets.

The level of knife crime is at an all time high in the North - and there's been a big rise in the number of people caught with an illegal blade.

We've got disturbing evidence that children as young as 14 can buy knives from stores in the region with no questions asked.

Inside Out has been on the streets to find out why more and more teenagers have taken to carrying knives.

A consultant head of A & E in Newcastle, Mr Bas Sen, has noticed an increase in stab and knife wounds over the last five years:

"I think people don't realise how dangerous knives can be. These are weapons that when used can produce fatal injuries because I think people don't realise how close to the surface vital organs are聟

"We have seen a case where there was a single stab wound to a fairly innocent person who bled to death at the place he was stabbed聟 and I'm sure the assailant didn't know what he was doing."

Lee McCormack was luckier - he survived after being stabbed at a party. He lost 15 pints of blood.

"I found out later that he had punctured my artery heart value and I had to have the bottom half of my lung removed, It was that badly damaged they had to take part of my lung away."

Robert Dunne did not survive when he was attacked during a street confrontation in Middlesbrough.

The killer went into the house. He took an ornamental sword told his girlfriend to lock the doors and go upstairs. He ran up behind Robert shoved it full-force in his back right up to the hilt.

He cut through two ribs, he cut his windpipe up to his left lung. Went through the left chamber of his heart and left a wound you could get your forefinger in. Then it cut his main circulation artery.

Increasing incidents

Robert was one of a growing number of victims of knife crime in this region.

Cleveland Police alone has seen a 70 per cent rise in knife incidents in the past two years.

And in a Mori Poll last year, 46 per cent of 11 to 16-year-old school pupils in the North East admitted to having carried a knife - the highest of any region in the country.

The law says it's illegal to sell a knife to someone who is under 16 but we've been given the name of several stores in the region where dealers are prepared to sell knives to children.

It's not just unscrupulous shopkeepers such as this dealer who are happy to sell knives to children. There're also a large and growing number of dealers on the internet.

All the checks we would ask a normal established trader to make can't be done without any verification through an Internet site.

If somebody is paying by postal order even if the site says they won't sell to under 18s or under 16s they are not actually making any checks to make sure that is not happening.

Complex laws

The law on knives is complex. And we've discovered how easy it is to adapt innocent-look sharp blades into deadly weapons.

Take a plastic resin based knife. It can be legitimately used as a letter opener.

It is very good for puncturing. It's easily hidden from metal detectors. It's easily hidden and it's easy to dispose of.

It can also be flicked open and closed at exactly the same speed as a flick knife. It's small it's light and it's handy and can be disposed of at the same rate.

It shouldn't be available but unfortunately it is. Technically it's not a flick knife, but at the same speed and adaptation and a little bit of practice it can be used as a flick knife.

Meanwhile the people on the frontline in the fight against illegal blades are Trading Standards.

The law on knives is about to be tightened. For instance, the age at which a person can buy a blade is about to rise to 18.
But some want the law to go much further聟

A campaign called Mothers Against Knives is calling for restrictions on the sale of combat knives, swords and machetes.

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• North Yorkshire Trading Standards

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Wrestling

Down and out or just a bit of kidology?

Wrestling conjures up images of strangely named men in jump suits throwing each other around a ring, screaming and grimacing at each other.

The World Wrestling Association has made the sport a popular entertainment so it's perhaps no surprise that it's booming in North East England.

Wrestling clubs have seen a big rise in members, especially amongst the young, and shops selling multi-coloured wrestling suits and masks are also experiencing an upturn.

Critics of the sport say that there's too much kidology and 'acting', making it more of a stunt spectacle than a sport.

We also talk to Jimmy Savile about how the sport is just a bit of old-fashioned good fun.

Inside Out speaks with wrestlers who take their sport very seriously, and say that there's much more skill involved than some of the choreographed moves might suggest.

Inside Out takes comedian Steve Drayton behind the scenes to find out just how tough you need to be to survive a few rounds in the ring.

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Tsunami revisited

Returning to South East Asia - a video diary

It's a year since the Tsunami hit South East Asia with devastating consequences.

Inside Out presents a special investigation into the aftermath of the Tsunami.

Zoie Gibson and Paul Fox from television's 'The Royal' kept video diaries of their return trip to Thailand.

Tsunami diary

This is an extract from Zoie and Paul's diary made twelve months on from the Tsunami:

"When we first arrived just three weeks after the disaster, families were still desperately seeking missing loved ones.

"We were immediately put to work, clearing the debris.

"The devastation was overwhelming - it was shocking to see what was left of the holiday paradise we'd enjoyed so recently."

Return to PhiPhi

Zoie and Paul return to PhiPhi to monitor progress

"This winter we returned to the island of PhiPhi.

"One year on, the wasteland that we saw back in January is slowly coming back to life but we wanted to find out what had happened to the people we'd met and helped on our first visit.

"Had they managed to rebuild their lives? The Tsunami claimed over 1000 lives here and destroyed many homes and businesses.

"The island is receiving lots of help from groups of volunteers and small relief organisations - many of them set up in memory of tourists who died in the wave.

"One centre was originally set up to help Swedish tourists immediately after the Tsunami.

"Thanks to continuing support from Europe, the centre is now providing help for the Thai people to get back on their own feet."

Rebuilding lives

"Kao Lak is one of many Thai resorts that are now familiar names for the most horrific of reasons.

"On our first visit here the devastation stretched for as far as the eye could see.

The Tsunami devastated many of Asia's coastlines

"Swimming pools and the foundations of demolished buildings were all that remained of busy hotels which had been enjoying their peak season.

"Today it looks like the area will soon be bustling again.

"Many of the small coastal villages suffered huge human losses and their livelihoods were destroyed by the Tsunami.

"With a little help from outside, communities are now rebuilding themselves.

"The women of this village, are now making soaps and will soon be running a sustainable businesses themselves.

"When we first arrived here last year, we heard the terrible story of the devastation. The small school lost two thirds of its students and their teacher.

"So we volunteered to spend time teaching and clearing the site of the new school and we gave them a little money.

"We were touched by the beautiful people we met there.

"It was exciting to come back and see the day care centre where our money was helping to provide care and fun for the children."

Survivors

"We first came to Bang Tao in January 2005. Many of the hotels and resorts were badly damaged and businesses were destroyed.

"We worked clearing the land, translating, doing case studies on local people, and we ran school projects and today the village has benefited hugely from the volunteer project run in the area.

Devastation - coastal scene following the Asian Tsunami

"One person we were keen to find was the lady who last year gave us bananas when we were clearing debris.

"She had survived the Tsunami by clinging to a tree for several hours. She lost both of her restaurants and most of her house.

"On our return she proudly took us to her new sea front restaurant which she has begun rebuilding.

"Hearing that she had run out of money to complete it, our mission was clear.

"We would all put in some money and buy her everything she needed to set up this restaurant in time for the resorts peak season.

"Our cash wouldn't have bought dinner back home - but in Thailand it went a long way."

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