10 years since Steven's murder - Step-mum of Rushden 23-year-old fundraising for bleed cabinet to tackle knife crime
The step-mum of Steven Smith, a man who was fatally stabbed in his own home 10 years ago this month, has launched a fundraiser to install an emergency bleed cabinet in the street that Steven had lived in.
Jolene Browning is hoping that the bleed cabinet to be installed outside the shop in Trafford Road, Rushden will help to combat knife crime, which she believes is ‘getting worse’ in the area.
She started the fundraiser last month, which is currently up to £655 of its £1,000 target.
Jolene said: “It’s taking quite some time to try to come to terms with it, I just don’t want his death to be forgotten about.
“He was well known in the community, It’s been 10 years, and I just want to highlight that these things don’t just disappear. The families are still grieving years later, and I want to try and protect our younger ones now.
“It’s always in the back of your mind anyway so you want to try and do something so that you can make other people aware.
“If it can save one life, it’s worth it."
The hope is to install a cabinet and further support the cause of Off the Streets, a local anti-knife crime organisation which strives to make a positive change in the community, beginning in the wake of the death of Dylan Holliday in Wellingborough in 2021.
The idea for a bleed cabinet in Trafford Road came after Jolene attended one of Off the Streets’ earliest workshops, and thought that a new one in the area could have a positive impact.
She said that it ‘opened her eyes’ to how important bleed training is and how critical it can be.
Speaking about the money raised so far, Jolene added: “It’s absolutely rewarding, it’s almost a way of saying that he hasn’t been forgotten. There’s still people out there that do remember and think that it’s a good idea. I’ve had people who have donated say it’s a fantastic idea.”
Bleed cabinets hold the essential supplies needed to control blood loss before the emergency services arrive, which can be critical after a life-threatening incident.
‘Our family is broken’
The decision to raise funds for a bleed cabinet at the shop in Trafford Road coincides with the 10-year anniversary of Steven Smith’s passing, and Jolene is hoping to have the kit installed on the same date.
Danney Beaumont was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of fatally stabbing his friend Steven in his own home on October 25, 2014 after an argument took place between the pair.
During the sentencing, Beaumont was told he must serve a minimum of 17 years before he is eligible for parole. He had been out of prison for just four days following a conviction for actual bodily harm, and committed what the court was told was an ‘act of pure aggression.’
Steven was given CPR at the scene and taken to Northampton General Hospital, but later died due to his injuries caused by a five-and-a-half inch kitchen knife.
In the years since the tragedy, the family has struggled to come to terms with Steven’s passing.
Jolene said: "Our family is broken, it’s completely broken down. Steven had three young children and they all now live in Scotland, they moved away about two years after Steven passed away so I don’t get to see them very often.
“We were a family that always got together for birthdays and Christmases, but we haven’t done that once since Steven died.
“We have two younger children who didn’t really understand what was going on at the time but they’re at an age now where they want to know. We talk about Steven all the while, but it’s hard because we can’t be a big family.
“We just can’t be together because it just doesn’t feel right. When Steven died, a link was taken away from our family chain."
‘Knife crime is just getting worse’
Knife crime in Northamptonshire has regularly hit the headlines in the 10 years since Steven’s death, and though the recent PSPO placed on Rushden hopes to make the town a safer place, Jolene believes the problem is only escalating.
She said: “Knife crime is just getting worse, and we’ve got younger children so we’re trying to educate.
“The new law banning zombie knives is great, but it’s never going to stop it because we all own a lot of kitchen knives, and would we notice if one was missing?
“A lot of the stabbings nowadays aren’t with zombie knives or machetes, they’re with normal kitchen knives.
“I wouldn’t want any other family to go through what we did.”
Off the Streets has been at the forefront of the fight against knife crime in the county, with its vital bleed control kits, essential training, amnesty bins and youth workshops helping to support local communities.
Jolene wants to invite them to hold a workshop in the area, making sure the people in the neighbourhood are capable of delivering care until the emergency services can take over.
A string of well-wishes line the online JustGiving page, which has been up since September 23.
Jolene’s fundraiser can be found here.