In a brave appeal, a heartbroken mother is turning her pain into a powerful message against knife crime after her son was murdered in Essex.
Michael Ugwa, 29, was in the food court at Lakeside Shopping Centre, on April 28, 2022, when he was fatally stabbed.
His mum, Lauretta Ugwa is now urging young people to think twice before carrying a knife to prevent others from suffering similar heartbreak.
This comes as part of a national week of action on knife crime, named Sceptre week.
Lauretta said: “Everybody in my family, in one way or the other, has been affected.
“Normally when I'm working, I don't pick up calls. But then Michael called me, and he asked can you make soup? I am going to come with my partner.
“And he goes: ‘You are the best mum ever!’. That was the last thing he said to me.
“When I got home, the police were there and that was when they said to me that my son was dead.”
Khan, of Illford, east London, and his accomplice Brandon Lutchmunsing, previously of Grafton Road, Dagenham, confronted Michael and his friends at Lakeside.
As the confrontation escalated Khan lunged at Michael with a knife and stabbed him under his arm, through his ribs and puncturing his heart.
Khan was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison with a minimum or 27 years.
Lutchmunsing was convicted of manslaughter and affray and sentenced to 13 years.
Lauretta added: “When you carry a knife, the tendency to use it is there. You can decide to justify your carrying a knife by saying: ‘Oh, I want to use it to defend myself. No.’ “My son’s children will live without a father for the rest of their lives.
“Michael’s murder has affected everyone. Everyone has lost.
“This is killing families. This is devastating families. Young children are left without their fathers.
“This needs to stop. We are still feeling this amount of pain. This is what knife crime does.”
Essex Police have praised Lauretta for sharing her story to highlight the “devastating” impact of knife crime.
Det Chief Insp Ian Hughes said: “The bravery of Lauretta to come forward and tell her story, to be so open about the devastating impact of knife crime is humbling.
“Her words, as a loving mum, say more than I ever could so my plea to people in Essex – and indeed around the country – today is to watch her video. To anyone who’s thinking of carrying a knife, listen to Lauretta’s message. To anyone who suspects their loved one may be carrying a knife or may be at risk of carrying a knife, please listen to her warning.
“To reiterate Lauretta’s words, knife crime is devastating. We’re working really hard to tackle knife crime, with specialist teams in place across the force and we’ll continue to do that work determinedly.”
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