A young man who was left in a wheelchair after being stabbed in a brutal and unprovoked attack in London has now been given a devastating diagnosis of cancer.
James Bascoe-Smith, now 20, was attacked by two masked men in February 2021 as he was testing his mother's bike near their former home in Brixton.
An innocent victim of a suspected gang stabbing, he collapsed while shouting “call my mother”. The then 16-year-old “died” for 50 minutes from a lack of oxygen and blood to the brain before being resuscitated by medics.
Three years later, Mr Bascoe-Smith was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and faces months of chemotherapy after becoming seriously ill during an operation to straighten his legs.
In a new call to end knife crime, his aunt Rachel Duncan said The Independent: “I want to see tangible action that changes things. There is too much talk and not enough action.
“He spent the best part of his teenage and adult years in hospital. The impact on him is so great, we will never really understand what it did to his life.”
It comes after Sir Keir Starmer this week launched a new coalition with Hollywood actor Idris Elba to tackle the issue. On Monday, prominent anti-knife campaigners and survivors gathered at Downing Street.
The prime minister pledged to double down on commitments and tackle online sales of lethal weapons, with the summit expected to become an annual event.
Mr Bascoe-Smith's life was turned upside down when he was attacked at random by Leon Rashid and Taiquane Lewis, aged 20 and 19 at the time, with multiple weapons including a combat knife, a zombie-style machete and a Rambo-style knife.
He spent 174 days in hospital, has permanent brain damage and is unable to work. After a trial at the Old Bailey, the pair were found guilty of conspiracy to murder. Rashid was jailed for 14 years and Lewis for 13 years.
While his attackers remain behind bars, Mr Bascoe-Smith has continued his gruelling treatment, which includes regular physiotherapy and hospital appointments. Concerns were first raised shortly after undergoing surgery on both legs in February, when his temperature began to rise and he began vomiting repeatedly.
After a number of tests, his mother Lisa, who had to give up her job to care for her son full-time, was officially diagnosed with cancer and needed chemotherapy.
“He's going to have chemotherapy for the next few months,” Ms Duncan said. “It's really difficult because he's still got to continue his rehabilitation and treatment for his previous injuries, so it does affect what they can do with him.”
“He's very down at the moment, we're trying to find ways to motivate him. I think James is trying not to think about the incident because it brings too much trauma, but he just wants to know: why me? Even the defense couldn't give that answer.”
During his attackers' sentencing, Mr Bascoe-Smith managed to record a video that he was able to play in court, in which he said: “They banned me from driving, from going on holiday with my friends to celebrate my 18th birthday, from being a gymnastics coach, from working, and from being a music producer, which I was studying at university.
“I can't get out of bed by myself, I can't even brush my own teeth and I need a lot of medication to recover.”
In addition to the physical and mental impact, Mr Bascoe-Smith and his mother have since moved to a different area and are housed in an accessible two-bedroom apartment. However, problems with damp and cockroaches meant that he suffered from chest infections on a regular basis, causing further distress to his loved ones.
His mother is now hoping to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust by going skydiving in Maidstone, Kent, on September 22, just days after her son's 21st birthday.
Speaking about the moment that changed their lives forever, Ms Duncan said: “There are so many more voices that need to be at the table when it comes to tackling knife crime. What about the people who have survived and are just reliving it over and over again?
“We need to look at schools, healthcare and how provincial borders are being drawn. [drug trafficking] are a problem. There are a lot of complex discussions to be had and I want to make sure the right people are in the room.”
A ban on zombie-style knives and machetes comes into effect on September 24, followed by plans to ban ninja swords.
While knife offences in England and Wales are lower than before the pandemic, there has been a steady increase since 2012.
According to government data, 41 percent of all homicides in the year ending March 2023 were knife-related.
