Ayrshire mum whose son was killed opens her heart in new knife crime campaign
Sam Johnston was stabbed through the heart in a knife attack in in Saltcoats
Last updated 14th Sep 2021
An Ayrshire mum's describing the moment her son was stabbed and killed as she backs a new campaign against knife crime.
22-year-old, Sam Johnston, was stabbed through the heart in a knife attack in in Saltcoats in 2013, now Lynn Burns wants young people to speak up anonymously about knife crime
Lynn recalls the night her son was murdered: “It was the most devastating news I have ever heard in my life. I still have difficulty believing it.”
"I cannot begin to explain to you what that feels like. It was like someone took a big grenade and launched it into our lives. And life has never been the same again, and it never will be the same again.
This is why she has joined up with Crimestoppers, fearless.org and the No Knives Better Lives programme run by YouthLink Scotland, in support of their new youth crime initiative.
The last text message
As part of a podcast which is central to the campaign, Lynn tells her son’s story in a bid to raise awareness about the consequences of carrying knives in the hope it will prevent more deaths.
Lynne recalls how he Sam sent her a reassuring message less than an hour before his death.
It said: Forgot to message you Mum. Yeah, love you Mum. See You in the morning.
"45 minutes I was in my bed sleeping and my phone went and it was Sam's Dad calling to say Sam was dead," she recalls.
"I just couldn't believe this. I was thinking: 'he just sent me a text, how can he be dead?' But he was dead. He was gone."
"This was a decision that someone made to pick up a knife, and put that in the body of someone else. That knife went into Sam's heart, and Sam was unconcious in four minutes and dead in six."
How to report knives in secret
By providing the promise of anonymity, the campaign hopes to motivate more young people to come forward.
Lyndsay McDade, National Youth Projects Coordinator for the charity Crimestoppers Scotland, said: “Today, we’re urging young people to continue to tell our charity WHO they know or suspect regularly carries a knife or other weapons.
"It only takes 2 minutes to complete our simple anonymous online form at fearless.org and we guarantee you’ll stay 100% anonymous.”