Shocking reality of knife crime in Sheffield laid bare during trial after man is killed in city centre

Their victim was 26-year-old Reece Radford, who on a night out with friends crossed paths with his killers on Arundel Gate – one of the busiest roads in the city centre.

His mistake was trying to help a teenage girl he had spotted being pushed over by one of the two men at a bus stop. Such was his character that Reece wanted to help the young girl, but he paid the ultimate price for his kindness – his life.

Reece was beaten and kicked by the two men for daring to intervene, then one of them plunged a knife into his heart. A horrified friend he was with dialled 999 and tried to stem the flow of blood from Reece’s chest, along with the teenage girl he had been trying to help.

They will never forget the horror they witnessed that night, nor will the medics who treated Reece in A&E and those who fought to keep the brave young man alive before he succumbed to his injuries and took his final breaths one week later.

What possesses people to walk the streets armed with blades? If it is for ‘protection’ then what is being done to ‘protect’ the innocent going about their lawful business in the middle of a busy city?

Emergency first aid kits were installed in the city centre last week for incidents such as this. They are aimed at giving victims of crime an extra chance of survival until paramedics arrive at the scene.

But instead of the city needing these so called ‘bleed control cabinets’, what is being done in the city centre to prevent such attacks, to rid the streets of knives and to ultimately save lives?

How many more lives have to be lost until we see some real change?

Tell us your views on what you would think would reduce knife crime and whether you feel safe in Sheffield city centre these days.