New measures collectively to be known as “Ronan’s Law” in honour of Ronan Kanda, a 16-year-old British Indian boy tragically killed in 2022 in a case of mistaken identity near his home in Wolverhampton, will require retailers to report suspicious and bulk purchases of knives on their platforms.
The UK Home Office announced the law this week after tireless campaigning by Ronan’s mother, Pooja, and sister Nikita to restrict young people’s access to weapons online and to protect other families from the same heartbreak. Ronan’s killers, who were also teenagers, illegally bought lethal weapons online and collected them from the Post Office on the day of the attack, with no age or identity verification taking place. It was later revealed that one of the killers had bought more than 20 knives online, including by using his mother’s ID. Ronan’s Law has been introduced to close lethal loopholes in the online sale of knives and impose tougher sentences for selling knives to under 18s.
Pooja Kanda said: “In 2022, I lost my son, Ronan, to knife crime and mistaken identity. In 2023, we sat in the courtroom where we were shown a Ninja sword and 25+ bladed articles. Looking at them, I knew my son didn’t stand a chance. Without proper ID checks, the online sale of these bladed articles played a crucial role in this tragedy. How was this allowed?
“A 16-year-old managed to get these weapons online and sold these weapons to other people. I knew we could not go on like this, and our fight for what was right had begun. Proper ID checks by sellers, as well as postal and delivery services, played a crucial role.
“We welcome the government’s plans to tackle the online sale of these weapons. Retailers, social media, and sellers need to take on more responsibilities. We welcome the proposal of a registration scheme, where the government will continue to implement stricter measures on the online sale of bladed articles. We have so much work to tackle knife crime; this is a much-needed beginning.
“This part of Ronan’s Law will provide much-needed barriers against knife crime. I wish this was done years ago, and my son would be with me today.”
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With Ronan’s Law, retailers in the UK will be required to report any bulk or suspicious-looking purchases of knives on their platforms to police to prevent illegal resales happening across social media accounts. The sentence for selling such weapons to under 18s will be hiked from six months to up to two years prison time, which could apply to an individual who has processed the sale or a CEO of the company.
This increased penalty will also apply to the sale or supply of prohibited offensive weapons such as recently banned zombie-style knives. A new offence of possessing an offensive weapon with intent for violence will be introduced in the Crime and Policing Bill which will come with a prison sentence of up to four years in prison. This means that no matter if the weapon in possession is legal or not, if there is intent to cause violence, it is a crime.
UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “It is horrifying how easy it is for young people to get hold of knives online even though children’s lives are being lost, and families and communities are left devastated as a result.
“We are honouring our commitment to introduce Ronan’s Law in memory of Ronan Kanda who was tragically killed in 2022. I am so grateful to the Kanda family for their endless perseverance in ensuring governments take the right actions to protect young people from further tragedy.
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“This government has set an ambitious mission for the country to halve knife crime over the next decade and we will pursue every possible avenue to save young lives.”
The Home Office will also explore through a consultation later this year whether a registration scheme should be put in place for all online retailers selling knives so that only responsible sellers are able to sell knives.
*Info: Ronan’s Law Campaign