Deadly zombie knives sold to kids on Snapchat for JUST 40 amid stabbings spike that killed 20 and

TERRIFYING "zombie" knives are being sold on Snapchat for £40 amid a stabbings spike in the UK.

The deadly weapons, named after blades using in zombie apocalypse films, have been banned for five years but are readily available on social media to teenagers and children.

The Sun has continuously campaigned for a crackdown on the weapon and were shocked to find individuals selling the blades on Snapchat.

One sicko, who posted photographs of a number of zombie knives for sale, wrote: “All big shanks are 40£ (sic) this Friday and weekend only.”

A second stated: “Zk (zombie knife) and flicky (flick knife) bundle 50£ (sic) today only both.”

In another post, which was captioned “shout me”, the unnamed user scrolled through videos of multiple knives that were up for sale.

They also shared the photograph of a katana-like weapon, branded “my personal fav[ourite]”, which was available for £65.

The blade seller’s posts were shared by an account for listeners of UK drill music - a type of rap that often features dark and violent lyrics.

The social media promoter claimed the seller’s page was a good place “for shanks” and a trusted source. 

The user, who was paid to share content to their followers, wrote: “Add my guy for your ZK’s (zombie knives), vouched by me.”

Was that the price my son’s life was worth? Because that’s no money at all!

Two hours after the post was shared, the shank seller - who claimed their account was removed multiple times in the past – boasted: “So far 200ish adds.”

After being reported to Snapchat by The Sun both accounts have since been blocked. 

MURDERS ON THE RISE

Zombie knives, machetes which have sharp and serrated edges, been frequently used in attacks across the country and in London alone, crimes involving the weapon have risen 10-fold in the last four years.

On Friday, we showed the horrifying scenes in North Greenwich, where four men hacked away at one another - leaving one man fighting for his life in hospital.

This year alone, 20 people in London have died after knife attack and dozens have been injured.

Data obtained by My London revealed zombie knives were used in 388 offences in the capital last year - despite lockdowns - and a further 495 in 2019. 

Our investigation has shocked grieving families.

Natalie Secka, whose teenage son was stabbed to death by someone using a zombie knife bought on Snapchat, is furious at how easy it is to buy these weapons online.

She told The Sun: “When I see zombie knives being sold for such a cheap price online I think, ‘Was that the price my son’s life was worth?’ Because that’s no money at all.

“These kids are swapping murder weapons for very little money on the platform and it seems to be unregulated.

“Zombie knives are a murder weapon, they are not a normal knife - you aren’t going to hurt someone, you’re going to kill them!”

LIFE SENTENCE

Her son Louis Johnson, 16, was killed by Kion McKenna, 17, who used a horrifying six-inch zombie knife in East Croydon station.

The murder took place in a busy area, in front of commuters and children on their way home from school, at around 4.30pm, on January 27, last year.

McKenna received a life sentence after being found guilty of murder and possession of a zombie knife in October last year.

Natalie told The Sun that her family’s lives were “turned upside down” by the killing and is regularly shocked to see the weapons still being sold online.

The mum regularly reports Snapchat accounts that are selling knives but claims “they are never taken down”.

She said: “I’m receiving treatment for PTSD and am just terrified all the time that something will happen.

'Never taken down!'

“It has left me afraid for everyone, not just for my own remaining children, but for all the young people out there.

“It’s absolutely devastating to think Louis will never have a life, children, a wedding, or a job.”

She is urging the government to enforce stricter sentences for crimes using that specific type of knife.

Natalie said: “Sentences should be exactly the same as those for firearms offences because zombie knives are murder weapons.

“A zombie knife is not a knife that has been pulled out of the kitchen drawer, it’s the equivalent of a gun in my mind.”

'Murder weapon for £30'

Natalie said she feels “powerless” because “no matter what happens” zombie knives continue to remain for sale online.

At one point, she claimed to have “seen them almost every day” on Snapchat and believes they are linked to the spike in knife crimes in London.

Natalie added: “I saw they were selling a shipment of 150 zombie knives for £30-a-pop on Snapchat.

“I mean to my mind, I don’t understand why a knife like that needs to be manufactured, let alone sold.

“I don’t understand how they get into the country if they are banned, we need to take it to a grassroots level and find out where they are getting into this country.”

Concern about the weapons falling into young hands was echoed by anti-knife crime campaigner Patrick Green, CEO of The Ben Kinsella Trust.

He told The Sun: “Zombie knives are really grotesque knives designed for no other purpose than to harm, maim or kill people.

They are deadly knives that are ending up on our streets and killing people

“There is a real problem with knives - not just zombie knives - but flick knives and concealed ones that look like credit cards, lipsticks and pens.

“These knives are relatively inexpensive to buy and some impressionable young people believe having one gives them respect or status.

“They are deadly knives that we have got to stop being sold because they are ending up on our streets and killing people.”

Snapchat took down the post after being alerted by The Sun. They added that they “encourage anyone” who sees illegal activity on their platform to “report it in-app”.

“We have zero tolerance for illegal activity on Snapchat and this includes the buying or selling of illegal weapons,” they said in a statement.

The social media platform said they had a “dedicated Trust and Safety team” to deals with complaints about offensive and illegal material. 

'Every young life lost is a tragedy'

They continued: “We are deeply committed to the safety of our community and have always put a great deal of thought into how to enable young people to engage creatively, safely and positively when using our platform."

The Sun put the concerning findings to the government’s Policing Minister Kit Malthouse, who spoke about multiple plans to reduce knife crime.

He told The Sun: “Every young life lost is a tragedy, and our sincere condolences go to the family of Louis Johnson for their devastating loss.

“Social media companies must not allow their platforms to be used to sell illegal weapons.

“Our Online Safety Bill will force them to remove this content or face fines of up to £18million or 10 per cent of annual global turnover.”

The Government’s Online Safety Bill plans fall short so platforms will continue to play a never-ending game of whack-a-mole

The government believes the law will “make it harder for under 18s to buy knives online”.

However, the NSPCC’s Head of Child Safety Online Policy Andy Burrows is less optimistic after reading the draft, which was released last month.

He believes social media platforms need to share data to ban dangerous individuals across all platforms.

Mr Burrows told The Sun: “If tech firms don’t share information with each other to tackle harmful accounts then they won’t successfully be able to protect children.

“Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden should stand up for kids by putting a duty on tech firms to work together to share intelligence on online threats.

“At the moment, the Government’s plans fall short so platforms will continue to play a never-ending game of whack-a-mole.”

The government are planning to recruit 20,000 more police officers over the next three years as part of a plan to reduce knife crime on the streets.

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They also launched a buy-back scheme in December last year, which paid knife owners to surrender their blades for cash.

There were 18,108 knife crimes in England and Wales in 2019, compared to 22,449 the year before, according to a report from September 2020.

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