Top cop 'appalled' at violent crimes in Sheffield and says force is 'determined' to catch offenders

The comments have been made by the District Commander for Sheffield, Chief Superintendent Shelley Hemsley, after The Star revealed last week that we have reported on 11 murders; 14 stabbings; 13 shootings; five sex assaults and four rapes over the last year alone.

The period covered in the list runs from February 2021 through to the end of February this year, and in addition to five murders carried out in Sheffield, the list also includes six murders committed in nearby Killarmarsh, Derbyshire.

Chf Supt Hemsley said: “We are as appalled as anyone at these violent crimes both here in our city and in our neighbouring force’s area.

“Our officers are working with determination and innovation to prevent these crimes but where they occur, we work with compassion and understanding to support victims and relentlessly pursue perpetrators.

“The fact that so many of these cases are progressing through the court is testament to our determination to bring offenders to justice and the sheer courage of those affected by such crimes.”

The murder victims include father-of-two Khuram Javed, who was shot dead on a footpath alongside St Mary’s Church near the Sheffield United ground on Bramall Lane on April 10 last year.

Ricky Collins, Danny Irons, Armend Xhika, Anthony Sumner, Mohamed Issa Koroma and Macaulay Byrne all died after receiving fatal stab wounds.

The bodies of 11-year-old Lacey Bennett; her brother John Paul Bennett, 13, their mother Terri Harris, 35, and Lacey's friend Connie Gent, 11 were found at a house on Chandos Crescent, Killamarsh, near Sheffield, on September 19 last year.

The tragic foursome are believed to have been murdered between September 17 and September 19 last year.

Meanwhile, the 14 stabbings left 16 people wounded, while the 13 incidents of gun-related violence resulted in eight people receiving gunshot wounds.

While some incidents are unconnected, others are believed to be as a result of gang-related criminality, which has seen rival groups wage war across the city.