Put a halt to the killings

Family’s plea as 20 teens die this year

- Anthony France and John Dunne

THE family of the latest victim of London's teenage knife crime epidemic today called for an end to the bloodshed as new figures showed the scale of the crisis.

Ilyas Habibi, 17, was knifed close to Sutton station shortly after 7pm last Tuesday. Police said the student had arrived by train and was attacked moments after stepping outside by an attacker who fled the scene. He was the 20th teenager killed on the streets of London this year. Seventeen were stabbed to death.

His death - marking a big rise on the 14 killed last year - heaps further pressure on Scotland Yard chief Sir Mark Rowley and London Mayor Sadiq Khan to do more to tackle knife crime.

Both will be further concerned if this year's total edges closer to the 30 teens who died in 2021, the worst year on record. According to Met data, between January 1 and October 31, some 3,148 people were stabbed in London, a 5.2 per cent rise on 2022.