Ronan Kanda: Family of murdered boy welcomes deadly ninja swords ban

Murdered Ronan Kanda's mother has welcomed a ban on ninja swords to take effect within months.

From August 1, it will be illegal to possess, manufacture, import or sell the weapons, as Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said it was "far to easy" for teenagers to get hold of deadly blades.

Anyone caught in possession of a ninja sword after the ban could face up to six months in prison.

Pooja Kanda, whose son Ronan was just 16 when he was killed by two 17-year-old boys with a ninja sword, said: "We believe ninja swords have no place in our society other than to seriously harm and kill.

"We are so grateful to our government for hearing us and for recognising how important and urgent it is to get these dangerous weapons off our streets.

"Each step towards tackling knife crime is a step towards getting justice for our boy Ronan."

Ms Cooper said: "Today we are introducing the final part of Ronan's law in his memory - banning the ninja swords that his killers should never have been able to use.

We are acting with urgency to bring forward measures to prevent deadly weapons from getting into the wrong hands and will continue to do whatever is needed to prevent young people being killed on our streets as part of our mission to halve knife crime over the next decade."

Ahead of the ban there will be an amnesty from 1-31 July to allow the public to surrender the weapons safely.

But weapons purchased from tomorrow, March 28th onwards will not be eligible for compensation under the scheme.

The ninja sword ban is the final part of Ronan's Law, which is laid before Parliament today.

The law aims to tackle the online sale of knives, with measures including a two-step verification process and hefty fines for company executives who fail to remove knife crime content from their platform.

It also introduces tougher penalties for being caught with a knife in public and for selling a weapon to any person under 18.

Ronan's Law will also require online retailers to report any bulk or suspicious-looking purchases of knives to the police.

Patrick Green, CEO of the Ben Kinsella Trust also welcomed the move.

He said: "These weapons, with no practical purpose beyond violence, are simply instruments of war and have absolutely no place in our society or on our streets. The ease with which such dangerous items have been available has contributed to far too many tragedies.

"The additional measures under Ronan's Law, designed to hold those who sell these weapons to account, are critical in breaking the supply chain that fuels this violence. We commend the Government for listening to victims’ families, and for taking decisive action."

Sandra Campbell, Chief Executive Officer of Word 4 Weapons added: "Ronan’s tragic death at the hands of a ninja sword highlights the urgent need to tighten legislation around dangerous weapons, online and otherwise.

"This law is a crucial step toward reducing violence and protecting lives in our communities.”