Knife crime can have a devastating impact on our communities.
The prevelance of stabbings continues to be a cause for concern for many Sheffield residents.
Speaking to The Star this summer, South Yorkshire Police Superintendent Benn Kemp said tackling knife crime 'remains a priority for the force'.
He continued: "We are really committed to tackling this. We are one of the one of the first regions, or were one of the first regions, with a serious violence unit that was established and we have a lot of initiatives that are ongoing with our partners with education establishments and with other organisations to really address this. It's not just a police issue."
The police have been instrumental in helping to bring some of those responsible for knife crime carried out on South Yorkshire's streets to justice.
All of the defendants pictured here have been jailed during Sheffield Crown Court hearings held in 2023.
Some of the defendants acknowledged their wrong-doing through guilty pleas, while others were convicted following jury trials held at the court.
The potential consequences of knife crime have been laid bare through these cases, with some victims sadly losing their lives, and others being left with serious injuries.
There are a number of permanent knife amnesty bins in place in Sheffield, in the following locations: Wolseley Road, Sharrow, Sheffield; Birley Moor Road, Frencheville, Sheffield; Devonshire Green (off Fitzwilliam Street), Sheffield city centre.
He continued: "We are really committed to tackling this. We are one of the one of the first regions, or were one of the first regions, with a serious violence unit that was established and we have a lot of initiatives that are ongoing with our partners with education establishments and with other organisations to really address this. It's not just a police issue."
5. Cyrus Scarborough: Woman, 28, jailed for ‘unprovoked’ attacks on men in Sheffield – blinding one and stabbing other
Cyrus Scarborough, aged 28, has now been jailed at Sheffield Crown Court for the attacks, after a judge passed an 18 year jail term. The court heard how South Yorkshire Police were called to London Road at around 3am on Sunday, April 24, after reports that a man had been attacked in a pub. The jury was told Scarborough had launched an unprovoked attack on her victim, pushing him to the floor, whilst shouting 'I'm going to kill you'. Scarborough sat on top of her victim, before pushing her fingers into the victim's eyes, causing the man, aged in his 50s, to permanently lose his sight in one eye. She was restrained by members of the public and arrested by officers at the scene. Just two days later on Tuesday, April 26, Scarborough was at a friend’s house when she attacked another man. She attacked him with a knife, stabbing him three times in his chest, neck and head and also breaking a glass bottle on the back of his head. The victim, a man in his 30s, sustained serious cuts, but went on to make a full recovery. Investigating officer, PC Hollie Winkless, said: “Scarborough’s victim. On Tuesday June 27, 2023 she was jailed for 18 years at Sheffield Crown Court, with 13 years to be served in custody and five years on extended licence. | Submit
6. Yaqeen Arshad: Sheffield killer teen jailed for murdering much-loved dad
Judge Sarah Wright sent Yaqeen Arshad to begin a prison term of at least 14 years during a Sheffield Crown Court sentencing hearing on Monday, March 20, 2023, after jurors found him guilty of murdering 31-year-old Richard Dentith during a violent incident on Grimesthorpe Road, Burngreave in the early hours of April 7, 2022.
This means Arshad could be released by the time he is 31, the same age Mr Dentith was when the teen killer fatally stabbed him in the arm during a violent confrontration on Grimesthorpe Road, Burngreave in the early hours of April 7, 2022. Describing the circumstances of the confrontation, Judge Wright told Arshad: “31-year-old Richard Dentith walked past you as you and your friend stood in a bus shelter on Grimesthorpe Road and continued down the hill...For some reason as Richard Dentith made his way down the hill you pursued him, running after him armed with a knife. “The CCTV from the mosque on Grimesthorpe Road showed that you appear to lunge at Richard Dentith as he disappeared behind a pillar. You clearly deliberately thrust the knife into and indeed through his arm possibly then making contact with his chest. He ran away pursued by you down the hill. “He fell and you overshot, but then turned round and you continued to try to attack him. He managed to get by you but had been fatally injured. He collapsed on steps outside the Earl Marshall Guest House. The stab wound to the arm had severed the brachial artery and cut part of the cartilage and so would have required at least moderate force. He suffered catastrophic blood loss from the wound and he bled to death.” A post-mortem examination subsequently concluded Richard, fondly known as ‘Ricky,’ had died of a single stab wound, jurors heard during the trial. Arshad was subsequently charged with his murder, but denied the charge; however jurors found him guilty of Mr Dentith’s in March 2023, following a 10-day trial at Sheffield Crown Court.
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7. Tyler Jules: Knife-wielding Sheffield woman stabbed her friend so badly he lost part of his bowels
Sheffield Crown Court heard on January 25, 2023 how Tyler Jules, then aged 30, of Bellhouse Road, at Shiregreen, Sheffield, bit and stabbed her friend during a dispute after she had been drinking with him and another woman. Judge Peter Kelson KC told Jules: “This was a prolonged attack involving biting and there are photographs of the bite wound and then you seized a knife and then you stabbed your victim in the stomach with the knife.” Austin Newman, prosecuting, said Jules, the male complainant and another woman had been out drinking alcohol together at another property before they returned to the other woman’s Shiregreen home. Mr Newman added Jules and the woman began arguing and as the male complainant tried to intervene Jules bit him on the left nipple and as they began wrestling he struck the defendant and she bit his right arm. As the other woman tried to separate them, the defendant picked up a large kitchen knife which she brandished as she shouted that she was crazy and mad, according to Mr Newman. Mr Newman said the defendant took a step to the right and stabbed the complainant in the abdomen and the wound was 4cm long and caused the complainant’s lower bowel to be exposed. Judge Peter Kelson sentenced Jules to 27 months of custody and made the defendant subject to an indefinite restraining order to protect the complainant. | Submit
8. David Fairweather: Young Barnsley boys found mum and aunt in pool of blood after horrific Christmas knife attack
David Fairweather only stopped punching, choking and stabbing his first victim when her older sister lay on top of her to shield her from his blows, heard Sheffield Crown Court. The older sister was then stabbed three times herself and left with injuries so severe she remained in hospital almost five months after the attack. The younger victim's young sons, aged eight and nine, heard the incident and came downstairs to find their mum and aunt in a pool of blood. They raised the alarm and gave enough details for emergency services to locate the injured women. Fairweather, aged 44, formerly of Princess Street, Barnsley, admitted two counts of section 18 wounding following the incident on December 12, 2021. On Monday, March 13, 2023 he was handed a 16-year sentence at Sheffield Crown Court. | Submit