'24 Hours In Police Custody' Made A Chilling Point About Knife Crime

As the Luton police force investigated the crimes, the episode showed disturbing footage of the stabbings, one of which occurred in a busy shopping centre between three young boys.

The other horrifying case centred around the murder of 18-year-old Azaan Kaleem, who was stabbed as he walked to Luton town centre with his girlfriend and friend. He tragically died from his injuries two days later.

Azaan's death was seemingly put down to 'the wrong look being exchanged at the wrong time' as he was knifed in a barbaric 22-second attack in the middle of the day. The teen is said to have caught the eye of a gang member moments earlier.

The episode made chilling points about the growing issue of knife crime in the UK, with viewers horrified by the lack of motive behind the all of brutal stabbings and the criminals' attitude to the crimes.

Others pointed out that the episode highlighted that carrying a blade doesn't always keep you safe, as Azaan had a knife on him too.

"Carrying a knife doesn't make you safer. It's either going to make you a criminal or a victim," explains one of the detectives. "But to go from a dirty look to dying is ridiculous. It just doesn't make any sense."

National crime statistics suggest that there were 40,000 blade-related incidents across the country in the year to September 2018, and the shocking footage from both cases prompted viewers to take to social media disturbed by what they'd witnessed.

"Just finished watching @Channel4 24 Hours In Police Custody, what a heartbreaking watch. Knife crime needs to stop!! Too many young lives being lost for foolish reasons," wrote one person.

While somebody else tweeted: "24 Hours In Police Custody ...... Should be shown in all schools, this is the reality of carrying knives. No one wins."

A third wrote: "Watching 24 Hours In Police Custody and something seriously needs done about knife crime. I don't know what the solution is but young kids are f*cking killing each other in the street over a dodgy look or someone in the 'wrong place'. Madness, life is far too precious."

The three teenage boys in the mall attack all received jail sentences. Che Stevens, 18, from Bedford, was sentenced to seven-and a half-years for stabbing Luca Sanni on 21st January 2018.

Sanni, 17 at the time of the attack and previously of Luton but now living in Cambridgeshire, received five years for attempting to cause grievous bodily harm.

And 18-year-old Imani Pobi Da Silva, previously from Luton but now of Milton Keynes, was sentenced to a year for holding a knife.

Despite almost all answering 'no comment' during their police interviews, the gang were jailed for a total of 63 years for the murder of Azaan Kaleem.

Rashaan Ellis, 18, of Derwent Road, Luton, and Callum Smith, 19, of Cowridge Crescent, Luton, who can now be named after the reporting restriction was lifted, were given life sentences in December.

Harrison Searle, 18, of Derwent Road, Luton, was given life with a minimum of 16 years in jail for the murder.

Reece Bliss-McGrath, 20, was found guilty of manslaughter, and was sentenced to 11 years.