"if it was in place years ago, my son would've been here"
Ronan’s Law has come into effect in England and Wales, meaning ninja swords have been outlawed.
Ronan’s Law honours 16-year-old Ronan Kanda, who was stabbed to death near his Wolverhampton home in 2022 in a case of mistaken identity.
He was attacked with a ninja sword that had been bought online.
Two teenagers, Prabjeet Veadhesa and Sukhman Shergill, were convicted of his murder and jailed.
On the day of the murder, Veadhesa had collected a ninja sword set and a large machete from a local post office, after buying them online using a fake name.
A ninja sword is a large knife-like weapon between 14-24 inches (35-61 cm) in length, with a straight, single-edged blade and a tanto or reverse tanto style point.
Ronan’s Law makes it illegal to possess, make, import or sell the weapons. It is part of the government’s plan to halve knife crime over the next decade.
Ronan’s mother, Pooja Kanda, has campaigned for the law to be introduced. She said it is “one very, very big change we needed”.
She said: “I firmly believe if it was in place years ago, my son would’ve been here today”.
At least 1,000 ninja swords have already been handed in during a surrender scheme. The government also plans to clamp down on online weapons sales.
Retailers will be required to report suspicious knife orders, carry out tougher age-verification checks and face large fines if they fail to prevent illegal sales.
Knife crime in England and Wales has risen 87% in the past decade.
Police recorded 54,587 offences in 2024, up 2% on 2023, among the highest levels in Europe.
Reflecting on her son’s life, Ms Kanda said: “He is larger than life… he is everything a mother would want, a mother’s dream son who never shied away from helping his mother, caring for his mum, loving his sister and loving everyone around him.
“He did not shy away from helping people, he deserved life, he truly deserved life and he would’ve become something big.
“He is big today but honestly, we need more children like Ronan.”
Anyone caught in possession of a ninja sword in private could face six months in prison, and this will later increase to two years under new measures in the Crime and Policing Bill. There is already a penalty of up to four years in prison for carrying any weapon in public.
Loading ...